'It   is   hard   to   enter  the   attic  of  the   past  and   seek   for   fragments  of 
ow  to  live  for  tomorrow." — Pcigc  4 • 


THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 


BY 


KATHERIN  VON  DER  LIN 


LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 
1921 


Copyrighted,  1921 

by 

KATHERIN  VON  DER  LIN 
All  Rights  Reserved 


URL 


FOREWORD 

TT7HEN  the  telephone  was  first  exploited  as  a  means  of  inter- 
*  *     locution,  prominent  business  men  refused  to  invest  cap- 
ital in  it,  for  they  looked  upon  the  invention  as  a  toy. 

In  the  matter  of  communication  between  this  earth  and  dis- 
carnate  minds,  there  is  a  diversity  of  opinion  ranging  from  sheer 
negation  to  positive  assurance. 

That  huma^  personality  survives  bodily  death  is  only  an- 
other way  of  stating  the  doctrine,  held  even  by  ancient  pagan 
philosophers,  Plato  among  them,  that  the  soul  is  immortal.  The 
author  of  this  volume  abundantly  witnesses  that  there  are  con- 
trols, or  intelligences,  that  transmit  messages  through  the  me- 
dium, or  automatist.  The  book  is  a  narrative  of  personal  expe- 
riences in  which  the  phenomena  of  sensory  and  motor  autom- 
atism and  of  clairvoyance  are  recounted  by  the  writer,  who  is  a 
noted  automatist.  The  veracity  of  the  highly  dramatic  incident 
in  the  New  York  court  room  and  of  what  led  up  to  it  is  attested 
by  the  generous  publicity  given  the  event  in  newspapers.  But 
the  truth  of  the  numerous  other  happenings  is  not  less  incon- 
trovertible because  less  known  to  the  public. 

To  those  interested  in  psychic  research  the  author  addresses 
herself,  not  in  pages  of  theory  and  hearsay,  but  with  concrete 
examples  of  the  signal  powers  she  exercises.  The  skeptic  and 
the  scoffer  should  bear  in  mind  that  many  facts  of  physical  na- 
ture, which  to  us  have  no  element  of  novelty  or  surprise,  our 
forefathers  shrank  from  as  manifestations  of  the  black  art,  or 
as  exceeding  all  possibility.  A  century  hence  what  we  now  know 
only  through  a  glass  and  darkly,  will  perhaps  be  as  unmistak- 
ably clear  as  other  disclosures  in  the  arts,  the  sciences,  and  the 
life  beyond,  of  which  at  present  we  have  no  inkling. 

The  poem,  used  as  an  introductory,  was  composed  by  the 
author's  daughter,  the  "Ronile"  of  the  narrative,  who  at  the  time 
was  twelve  years  old.  The  thought  in  it  is  that  of  an  observant 
and  imaginative  child  with  whose  right  to  happiness  domestic 
mischances  played  mischief,  and  she  rapidly  set  down  her 
thoughts  in  the  ungarnished  form  they  came  to  her. 

LESLIE   FRASER    GORDON. 


2133347 


THE   WAY   OF  THE   WORLD 

For  thus  is  the  Way  of  the  World, 

On  whose  billows  a  soul  is  tossed ; 

When  smote  by  the  whip  of  its  will, 

The  hope  in  that  soul  is  lost. 

Yet,  see !    A  light  is  sighted  afar ; 

And  from  it  there  comes  a  spark. 

A  signal !    Beware,  for  the  night  is  dark, 

And  pirate  ships  may  be  prowling  about! 

Black  fears  and  horrors  that  soul  doth  taunt 

While  grappling  with  itself  in  doubt. 

A  blast — and,  lo,  a  ship  is  seen ! 

Yet  pirate  craft  it  cannot  be, 

For  a  banner  white  from  its  flagstaff  flows. 

Tis  the  good  ship  Salvation  that  cuts  through  the  waves 

To  rescue  the  souls  from  their  watery  graves. 

Some  asleep  from  exhaustion,  some  struggling  still, 

Yet  none  of  them  seem  to  give  up  with  will. 

'Tis  true  they'll  be  saved,  but  it  is  not  all  done, 

For  the  way  of  the  world  is  not  to  succumb. 


It  is  hard  to  enter  the  attic  of  the  past  and  seek  for 
fragments  of  sorrow  to  live  for  tomorrow. 


THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 


CHAPTER  I 

ON  THE  EOAD  OF  DESTINY 

It  was  the  Hudson-Fulton  celebration  which  beckoned 
huge  crowds  to  the  metropolis  of  New  York  City,  to  watch 
the  great  parades  both  on  land  and  water,  and  perceive 
how  time  with  its  progress  changed  from  the  sailing  vessels 
to  the  mammoth  steamers  like  palaces  gliding  through  the 
waves.  All  trains  were  filled  with  crowds  of  enthusiastic 
people,  chattering  eagerly  about  the  relative  threads  that 
weave  back  their  ancestry  to  the  Mayflower.  If  one  could 
record  their  conversation  it  would  link  about  half  of  the 
English- American  population  with  the  already  overloaded 
Mayflower. 

The  train  had  passed  a  small  station  in  New  Jersey. 
Among  the  crowd  who  eagerly  pressed  their  way  to  the 
already  filled  train  was  a  woman  leading  a  little  girl  by 
the  hand.  In  the  other  hand  she  carried  a  small  handbag. 
They  did  not  fit  in  among  the  merrymakers  as  the  deep, 
dark  rings  around  their  eyes  gave  proof  of  intense  soul- 
suffering.  The  child  pushed  her  golden  curls  from  her 
face  and  watched  the  crowd  with  questioning  glances,  won- 
dering why  they  all  waved  little  American  flags  in  gestures 
as  they  spoke.  A  look  of  admiration  rested  tenderly  on  the 
little  symbols  and  a  deep  sigh  was  the  salute  from  the  sad 
heart  of  a  little  four-year-old  citizen.  Her  eyes  would 
hastily  travel  back  to  her  mother  as  if  in  fear  that  she  had 
failed  to  support  her,  as  the  mother  tried  hard  to  steady 
herself. 

There  was  quite  a  contrast  between  those  pleasure- 
seekers  and  the  Woman,  with  white  face  and  teeth  set,  and 
at  times  a  convulsive  twist  at  the  cheek-bones,  her  eyes 
looking  into  empty  space.  Some  of  the  travelers  knew  them, 
yet  there  was  no  response  from  the  Woman  to  their  kindly 
greetings.  She  held  herself  swaying  as  if  in  tune  with  her 
reverie. 


6  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

A  gentleman  arose  from  his  seat  in  the  rear  of  the 
train  and  leaving  his  hat  and  flag  in  the  seat  to  hold  it, 
gently  touched  the  Woman  on  the  arm,  then  took  the  little 
' '  pet, "  as  he  called  the  little  girl,  in  his  arms  and  led  them 
to  the  waiting  seat.  Another  gentleman  in  the  next  seat 
gave  up  his  place  to  make  room  for  the  child.  Mr.  Levir, 
for  that  was  the  gentleman's  name,  thanked  him  and  sat 
down  holding  the  child  in  his  lap.  He  was  the  Woman's 
lawyer  and  he  seemed  highly  pleased  at  this  meeting,  and 
although  he  tried  to  talk  to  her,  she  sat  looking  out  of  the 
window — too  far,  it  seemed,  for  him  to  find  words  to  call  her 
back  from  her  reverie.  He  talked  to  Ronile,  his  pal,  as 
he  called  the  little  girl  and  tried  hard  to  make  her  smile 
by  waving  the  little  flag  across  her  face. 

Then  he  turned  abruptly  to  the  woman  and  said  some- 
what impatiently :  ' '  Now,  Mrs.  Delien,  there  is  no  use  in 
your  losing  your  mind.  He  is  not  worth  it.  If  you  want  me 
to  be  successful  in  winning  your  case,  you  must  be  cheerful. 
You  will  never  beat  him  in  this  way;  you  will  only  beat 
yourself  out  of  your  health  and  Ronile." 

He  stopped,  thinking  it  was  not  right  to  remind  her 
of  losing  her  child. 

The  Woman  turned  her  head  and  looked  him  squarely 
in  the  eyes  saying,  "What  do  you  mean?" 

"Well,"  he  kept  on,  "if  you  want  to  know,  he  is  now 
bringing  a  case  against  you  on  the  ground  that  you  are 
incapable  of  bringing  up  Ronile,  and  is  trying  to  get  her 
away  from  you. ' ' 

Deep  wrinkles  formed  on  the  anxious  mother's  brow. 
Her  baby  was  at  stake,  her  main  support  to  hold  her  on 
the  raft  of  conditions. 

"What  can  he  prove?"  she  whispered  between  her 
teeth. 

"Well,"  said  the  lawyer,  laconically,  "he  charges  that 
you  have  epileptic  fits." 

"Can't  you  prove  it  is  not  so?"  she  said  quite  im- 
patiently. ' '  My  heart  is  weak  and  my  nerves  are  unstrung, 
but  I  am  able  to  bring  up  the  child  I  bore  and  I  will. ' ' 

He  smiled,  little  concerned  about  the  deep  sorrow 
ringing  out  with  each  word.  With  him  it  was  like  the 


ON  THE  ROAD  OF  DESTINY  7 

butcher  with  a  prize  steer.  He  gets  it,  kills  it,  the  best 
parts  are  sold  to  the  one  who  can  pay  the  most.  Thus  the 
lawyer  worried  little  how  it  hurt  his  client  to  have  her 
past  happiness  severed  to  the  best  advantage  to  himself. 
He  pulled  Ronile  close  to  him  and  whispered,  ' '  How  would 
you  like  to  go  to  your  papa  and  play  with  your  dogs  and 
pony?" 

Her  blue  eyes  sparkled  for  a  minute  at  the  thought  of 
her  pets.  She  nodded  her  head  eagerly  and  said,  "I  want 
my  Major  and  Marshall  (her  two  pet  collies),  but  I  don't 
want  my  papa;  he  hurt  my  ear."  She  showed  him  the 
mark  on  her  ear. 

Her  father  while  in  a  drunken  condition  was  holding 
the  child  in  his  arms  and  she  in  disgust  at  his  breath  tried 
to  get  away.  He  was  not  steady  enough  to  hold  her  and 
let  her  slip  down  along  his  body.  In  doing  so,  the  child's 
ear  was  caught  on  the  sharp  edge  of  a  pencil  sticking  out 
of  his  top  pocket,  making  a  deep  wound.  With  a  sha*rp 
cry,  the  child  ran  to  her  mother,  holding  her  hand  over  the 
bleeding  ear.  He  thought  the  mother  was  trying  to  get  the 
child  away  from  him  and  staggering  over,  beat  the  Woman, 
throwing  her  against  the  wall.  Her  body  still  showed 
marks  of  brutality,  her  head  many  times  bleeding  like  the 
baby's  ear,  and  she  resolved  that  rather  than  have  that 
tender  plant  crippled  by  his  abuse,  it  would  be  better  for 
the  child  if  she  knew  no  father;  that  surely  the  world 
would  be  large  enough  for  two  tired  souls  to  live  in  peace. 

Thus  she  left,  consulting  the  gentleman  at  her  side 
to  start  legal  proceedings.  Mr.  Levir  was  still  young  and 
married,  with  nothing  but  a  hedge  running  around  his 
house.  He  held  Ronile  close  to  him,  wondering  why  God 
did  not  place  her  in  the  lap  of  his  wife,  knowing  she 
would  be  spared  the  hard  road  that  was  before  her  tender 
little  feet  to  tread.  He  turned  suddenly  to  the  Woman 
saying,  "We  will  take  Ronile  if  you  will  let  us  have  her  and 
raise  her  well." 

There  was  a  defiant  flash  in  the  eyes  of  the  little  one  as 
she  quickly  released  herself  from  his  embrace  and  slipped 
over  to  her  mother's  lap,  throwing  her  arms  around  her 
neck  and  kissing  her  tenderly. 


8  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Now,  Ronile,"  said  the  lawyer,  "you  are  not  angry 
at  me,  I  hope." 

"I  want  to  stay  with  my  mother,"  she  said  simply. 

"If  you  come  back  I  will  give  you  the  flag,"  he  said, 
coaxingly. 

She  reached  for  the  flag  and  stroked  the  silken  fabric, 
the  blue  stars  of  hope,  the  white  stripes  of  faith  and  the  red 
stripes  of  charity,  thus  making  a  banner,  a  good  enough 
symbol  for  the  Island  of  Refuge,  America. 


I  wonder  if  the  fairies  know  what  I  am  thinking  about? — Page  43. 


CHAPTER  II 

WHEEE  BLOOD   IS   THICKEE   THAN   WATER 

The  train  stopped;  more  people  got  on.  The  name  of 
the  city  seemed  to  remind  the  lawyer  of  something  he 
wished  to  tell  his  client  regarding  the  case.  He  suddenly 
pulled  up  the  woman  and  child  and  led  them  out  before  the 
train  started  to  proceed.  He  led  them  down  the  steps, 
stood  Ronile  on  the  pavement  and,  wiping  his  brow,  said, 
"I  am  going  to  take  you  to  get  evidence  for  your  case, 
such  evidence  as  you  will  need  to  win  your  case  in  this 
state. ' ' 

They  mounted  a  car  which  brought  them  to  the  factory 
site  of  the  town,  and  stopped  before  a  row  of  small  frame 
buildings.  The  doors  of  the  houses  were  open.  He  in- 
quired for  a  person  with  a  Slavic  sounding  name,  and  the 
woman  addressed,  with  many  gestures  and  broad  smiles, 
pointed  to  the  second  house.  Mr.  Levir  took  Ronile  by  the 
hand  and  begged  Mrs.  Delien  to  follow.  They  mounted 
a  staircase,  its  plain  boards  scrubbed  white,  coming  to  the 
door  of  the  upper  chamber  which  was  also  ajar. 

In  a  room  which  looked  like  a  kitchen  and  dining  room 
together  sat  a  young  mother  holding  a  flaxen-haired  baby 
in  her  arms  and  humming  a  weird  Slavic  melody.  At  the 
sight  of  the  gentleman  and  Ronile,  the  young  mother 
stopped  short,  caught  up  her  baby  and  with  nervous  fingers 
tried  to  button  her  waist,  failing  which  she  put  the  baby 
on  the  bare  floor  and  looked  aghast  at  her  former  mistress 
who  stood  bracing  herself  against  the  wall,  her  hand  grip- 
ping her  heart.  The  lawyer  was  the  first  to  speak.  He 
asked  the  young  mother  who  the  child's  father  was. 

She  answered  in  a  stammering,  husky  voice,  "George 
Mikosh." 

"What,"  he  thundered,  "you  know  better!" 

She  turned  her  face,  looking  down  in  shame. 

Then  the  lawyer  asked  her,  "Where  is  Mr.  Mikosh?" 

She  replied  with  a  frightened  glance  at  her  former 
mistress  that  he  was  at  the  mill. 


10  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Seeing  this  the  lawyer  said,  "Were  you  not  in  this 
lady's  employ  one  year  ago,  and  did  she  not  discharge  you. 
for  this?"  pointing  to  the  child.  "Your  husband  has  been 
in  this  country  only  eleven  months;  how  can  you  prove 
what  you  have  just  told  me  ? " 

Then  he  took  Bonile  and  placed  her  beside  the  baby 
and  pointed  out  the  resemblance,  which  was  most  remark- 
able. 

The  Woman  looked  reproachfully  at  her  former  house- 
maid, then  at  the  children  and  with  a  voice  choking  with 
sorrow  said,  "Oh,  Eva,  why  have  you  done  this?" 

A  red  flush  crossed  the  pretty  peasant  face  of  the 
young  mother,  and  jerking  her  head  pettishly  she  said, 
"He,"  meaning  her  former  employer,  "said  you  would  soon 
die  and  I  would  be  the  mistress. ' ' 

Mrs.  Delien  closed  her  eyes  to  overcome  her  grief. 
To  think  what  had  cut  the  threads  of  happiness;  set  her 
afloat  in  the  billows  of  conditions!  Then  she  clenched 
her  fists  and  said  in  bitter,  anguished  tones :  "So  you 
speculated  upon  my  death  to  create  another  life,  and  you 
never  considered  the  young,  tender  life  of  my  child  who 
never  harmed  a  hair  of  your  head!  You  broke  up  our 
home,  our  very  life. ' ' 

She  choked,  overcome,  for  Ronile  was  kneeling  before 
the  baby  petting  it  and  trying  to  wipe  away  the  mother's 
milk  which  still  hung  on  its  mouth. 

"Yes,"  thought  the  stricken  mother,  "their  instinct 
tells  them;  then  how  dare  I  condemn  the  fruit  of  sin?" 
But  bitterness  seemed  to  rise  in  full  power,  knocking  at  the 
door  of  recompense,  demanding  balm  for  a  breaking  heart. 
She  looked  back  at  Eva,  thinking,  "Oh,  how  could  she 
speculate  on  my  death,  when  I  had  a  child  to  care  for?" 
She  told  Eva  she  would  have  to  appear  in  court  and  testify 
and  that  she  would  have  to  bring  the  child  with  her. 

The  young  mother  fell  on  her  kness,  wailing  in  torn 
bits  of  language,  moving  her  head  from  the  floor  up  to  her 
former  mistress,  wringing  her  hands  in  despair,  and  cry- 
ing out,  ' '  He  leave  me ;  he  leave  me. ' ' 

The  baby  seeing  her  mother's  distress  looked  first 
at  the  tall  man  with  the  heavy-rimmed,  tortoise-shelled 


WHERE  BLOOD  IS  THICKER  THAN  WATER   11 

glasses,  then  at  Ronile's  mother  with  such  a  look  of  re- 
proach on  her  baby  face  that  Ronile  in  confusion  tried  to 
console  the  infant  and  picked  her  up  and  carried  her  to  her 
mother.  Mrs.  Delien  clasped  the  poor  innocent  baby  in  her 
arms  feeling  the  sobs  and  heart  beats  on  her  own  breast. 

Suddenly  a  shrill  whistle  blew  and  Eva  jumped  up, 
running  to  the  stove,  forgetting  everything  but  the  duty 
of  wife  and  mother. 

The  Woman  fought  with  her  inclination  to  show  mercy, 
as  she  clasped  the  weapon  in  flesh  to  her  bosom.  Should 
she  fight  for  her  freedom  ?  Slowly  she  set  the  child  on  the 
floor  again  and  said,  ' '  Eva,  our  home  is  gone,  and  our  trunk 
is  on  the  train  without  a  destination.  I  hope  you  can  keep 
a  shelter  for  your  baby. ' '  Slowly  she  glanced  around  what 
meant  a  kingdom  to  a  homeless  mother  and  child.  There 
was  a  small  path  leading  to  the  mill  and  hundreds  of  men 
walked  vigorously  toward  their  firesides.  The  woman 
paused,  too  weak  to  go  on.  She  heard  the  foster  father  of 
that  happy  baby  calling,  ' '  Eva !  Baby ! ' '  Eva  stood  at  the 
window,  holding  the  baby  and  smiling  back  at  him,  for- 
getting her  tears  and  past  sin. 

Then  Mister  Levir  became  very  irate,  charging  the 
unhappy  woman  with  silly  sentiment,  telling  her  she  had 
taken  out  of  his  hands  the  finest  evidence  he  had  ever 
procured,  and  all  on  account  of  a  weeping  servant,  and 
snapping  out  other  words  of  resentment  at  her  actions, 
left  her  swaying  on  a  broken  ladder,  only  a  step  higher. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  CLAIM  OF  YOUTH 

Mrs.  Delien  took  Ronile  by  the  hand  and  walked 
slowly  toward  the  nearest  railroad  station  to  wait  for  the 
next  train  to  Manhattan.  The  shades  of  night  were  already 
falling  and  they  were  soon  walking  on  the  deck  of  the 
ferry-boat,  both  absorbed  in  thought.  Ronile  at  times 
looked  sadly  through  the  shining  road  of  silvery  substance 
the  moon  seemed  to  have  paved  on  the  water.  Her  mother 
leaned  on  the  railing  of  the  ferry-boat,  clasping  her  hands 
in  ardent  prayer.  Suddenly  she  seized  the  child  and  told 
her  she  was  so  tired  and  wanted  to  sleep  in  the  cooling 
water.  "God  will  take  us  if  we  go  down  into  the  water," 
she  said. 

The  child  moved  away  in  horror,  shaking  her  head 
and  reminding  her  mother  of  the  stories  she  had  told  her 
of  her  little  brother,  who  was  now  an  angel,  her  Guardian 
Angel. 

"He  will  see  and  help  us,  mother  dear,  without  our 
going  into  the  black  water,  for  that  is  too  black  to  sleep 
in.  Why,  mother  dear,"  she  kept  on  pleading,  "Mike 
killed  the  kitties  in  the  water,  and  I  don't  want  to  die. 
I  don't,  mama  dear." 

The  moon  by  that  time  was  coming  full  over  the  high 
towers  of  lower  Manhattan.  A  distant  strain  of  music  came 
floating  over  the  North  River,  the  stars  becoming  less 
visible  as  the  lights  of  the  city  began  to  penetrate  the  dark- 
ness. Yet  the  eager  eyes  that  were  the  windows  of  the 
soul,  so  young  and  yet  so  strong,  that  soul  must  hold  sal- 
vation for  another.  Those  eyes  roamed  over  the  sky  in 
search  of  a  hold  to  connect  a  drifting  life. 

Suddenly  she  clasped  her  hands  and  showed  her  mother 
the  two  little  stars  blinking  peacefully  in  the  sky.  "See, 
mother  dear,  they  are  the  eyes  of  my  little  brother  and 
they  will  see  us,  the  Angel  eyes. ' ' 

Slowly  the  Woman  gazed  up  in  the  direction  which 
the  child  was  pointing,  and  as  she  gazed  long  and  earnestly, 


THE  CLAIM  OF  YOUTH  13 

slowly  a  form  emerged ;  a  face  was  visible ;  the  eyes  became 
those  of  a  child  of  infinite  beauty ;  then  two  arms  appeared 
through  the  form  of  a  woman  holding  the  child,  a  woman 
who,  too,  had  suffered  from  mankind.  This  great  Mother  of 
Mercy  looked  at  Ronile,  then  at  the  Woman ;  then  the  child 
with  glowing  tenderness  in  its  saintly  eyes  once  more 
gazed  at  the  water,  then  at  the  Woman  and  disappeared. 
It  was  a  sacred  moment  of  blessing  which  with  gentle 
grace  had  put  a  new  rung  in  the  ladder  of  a  wrecked  life 
to  lead  it  on  the  road  of  sacrifice  to  great  exaltation. 

After  they  left  the  boat  the  Woman  stood  wondering 
where  to  go.  She  well  remembered  the  words  of  her  lawyer : 
"He  is  having  you  watched  and  is  trying  to  get  evidence 
against  you  by  false  charges.  Don't  stop  at  hotels  if  you 
can  help  it."  She  had  friends  to  whom  she  could  go  but 
the  parade  had  beckoned  them  out.  The  hotels  were 
crowded  as  the  city  was  filled  with  visitors  and  a  room 
was  not  to  be  had.  They  sat  in  the  lobby  of  the  Waldorf- 
Astoria  until  the  parade  had  gone  by  and  crowds  dispersed. 

The  smell  of  food  reached  them  and  timidly  the  child 
said, ' '  Mother  dear,  I  am  so  hungry, ' '  bringing  the  mother 
to  the  realization  that  they  had  had  nothing  to  eat  all  day. 
She  took  Ronile  into  the  dining  room  and  ordered  broth. 
She  had  but  little  money,  so  she  tided  the  child's  desire 
for  some  goodies  over  to  a  more  prosperous  time,  telling  her 
of  their  need  of  money  for  shelter. 

Ronile  listened  intently  to  the  music  and  told  her  moth- 
er that  some  day  she  would  like  to  play  a  harp.  She  loved 
that  best,  she  thought.  The  mother  paid  little  attention  to 
the  child 's  chatter,  her  thoughts  wandering  back  to  Eva  whose 
baby  was  by  that  time  tucked  in  bed  with  perhaps  its 
father  rocking  it  to  sleep.  He  looked  so  happy — that  clean 
Slavic  peasant  boy.  She  thought  perhaps  it  might  have 
been  her  duty  to  hold  out  for  the  sake  of  Ronile,  but  where 
was  the  father 's  duty  toward  his  child  ?  Where  the  respect  ? 
Not  all  men  are  like  George  Mikosh.  Perhaps  there  were 
more  like  that  baby,  and  a  shiver  ran  through  her  tired 
body.  Come  what  may,  there  might  be  hunger  in  this  turn 
of  the  road,  but  not  abuse. 

They  walked  slowly  up  town  through  the  crowds  and 


14  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

after  what  seemed  to  the  tired  child  a  long  distance,  they 
rang  the  bell  of  a  fairly  good-looking  apartment  house. 
Just  then  the  Waters  came  home  from  the  parade  and 
Ronile  clung  to  .her  Uncle  Albert  and  Aunty  Inez,  as  she 
called  these  friends. 

"Did  Daddy  come,  too?"  was  their  first  question. 

"No,  we  are  getting  a  divorce,  mother  and  I,"  said 
Ronile,  "and  we  will  never  see  him  again." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Albert  Waters,  laughingly.  "So 
you  are  getting  a  divorce,  Ronile;  how  do  you  make  that 
out?" 

"Oh,"  said  the  child,  "the  lawyer  said  we  will  surely 
win." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Waters  were  old  friends  of  the  Deliens 
and  knew  of  the  brutality  Mrs.  Delien  had  to  contend  with, 
but  they  did  not  think  it  would  ever  come  to  a  break  on 
account  of  the  child.  They  both  looked  in  alarm  at  Mrs. 
Delien.  Her  face  told  the  tale. 

"Are  you  not  well?"  asked  Albert's  mother,  who  was 
then  getting  ready  to  go  home. 

' '  I  would  feel  better  if  I  knew  where  to  lay  my  head, ' ' 
came  the  answer.  "My  tongue  is  parched  and  dry  and  my 
hands  and  feet  are  numb." 

"Well,"  said  the  old  mother,  "come  with  me,  and 
you,  Inez,  keep  Ronile  so  that  Mrs.  Delien  will  have  com- 
plete rest." 

' '  That 's  fine ! ' '  said  Albert.  ' '  Now  we  have  you  with  us 
at  last  and  you  will  let  your  mother  take  a  good  rest. ' ' 

They  made  Ronile  a  bed  on  the  couch,  tucking  her  in 
snugly  and  trying  hard  to  make  her  forget  the  hardships 
of  the  day.  In  her  bedtime  prayer  Ronile  thanked  the 
Lord  because  He  had  sent  the  Little  Saviour  and  His 
Blessed  Mother  to  stop  her  mother  from  going  into  the 
water  to  sleep. 

"Did  your  mother  want  to  do  that?"  they  asked  in 
alarm  of  the  praying  child. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "but  I  prayed  for  my  little  angel 
brother  to  help  us,  and  he  did."  She  then  turned  her  head 
and  fell  asleep  with  a  thankful  look  on  her  face  that  she 
was  not  sleeping  in  the  cold,  black  water. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THEOUGH  A  VALLEY  OF  DARKNESS 

The  kind  old  lady  had  a  small  apartment  in  the  Bronx 
which  she  tried  to  make  comfortable  for  the  tired  visitor 
by  giving  up  her  own  bed.  It  was  past  midnight  when 
they  retired  and  just  as  the  hostess  dropped  into  slumber, 
a  sound  like  someone  choking  startled  her,  and  hearing  the 
same  sound  again  she  ran  into  her  guest's  room  and  found 
the  woman  in  convulsions.  Fortunately  there  was  some 
hot  water  ready,  Mrs.  Delien  having  refused  tea  before  re- 
tiring, complaining  of  the  numbness  of  her  tongue,  and  the 
water  was  still  hot  in  the  kettle.  The  old  lady  hurriedly 
mixed  mustard  with  the  hot  water  and  placed  the  woman's 
feet  in  it,  wiping  the  froth  from  her  mouth  and  praying 
that  God  would  help  her.  Soon  the  twitching  ceased  and 
the  form  of  the  woman  lay  motionless  in  a  state  of  coma. 

"No  wonder,"  said  the  old  friend,  Mrs.  Waters,  "just 
like  a  storm;  the  after  effects  of  a  fight."  She  sat  all 
night  by  the  bedside,  thanking  God  that  her  son  was  a 
good  man  and  did  not  drink. 

"Oh,  dear,"  she  thought  as  she  stroked  the  "Woman's 
hand,  "if  her  husband  could  see  her  now,  perhaps  it  would 
cure  him."  Then  she  thought  how  brutal  he  was  when 
they  visited  them  occasionally;  how  the  "Woman  had  no 
money  of  her  own ;  how  she  had  to  keep  an  account  of  every 
cent  and  if  she  did  not,  how  he  would  beat  her.  "Well," 
she  mumbled,  ' '  she  will  always  have  that  much  even  if  she 
doesn't  have  a  box  at  the  theater  and  servants  and  a  poor 
hungry  heart." 

There  were  still  black  and  blue  marks  on  the  Woman's 
body.  With  motherly  care  she  pulled  the  covers  closer  to 
protect  that  body,  still  shivering  at  intervals,  like  the  after- 
effects of  a  subsiding  storm. 

The  day  was  dawning ;  a  red  ring  began  to  line  along 
the  horizon,  like  a  bloody  band  that  ties  up  a  wound.  The 
elderly  woman  compared  that  signal  with  this  body, — a 
new  day,  a  new  hope,  the  tears  of  yesterday.  She  sat  a 


16  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

long  time  with  folded  hands,  slumbering,  thus  gaining  the 
strength  necessary  to  meet  the  burdens  of  each  day. 

The  days  grew  into  weeks  and  still  Mrs.  Delien's 
condition  seemed  to  linger  between  coma  and  apathy.  She 
scarcely  ever  opened  her  eyes,  and  the  poor  old  lady 
wondered  why  she  never  asked  for  her  child ;  why  she  did 
not  care  whether  it  was  morning,  noon  or  night.  One  day 
she  resolved  to  have  her  daughter-in-law  bring  Ronile. 
They  had  dressed  her  in  a  new  blue-and- white  dimity  dress 
with  a  black  ribbon  drawn  through  at  the  waistline,  neck 
and  sleeves.  The  optimism  in  a  child  is  a  wonderful  thing ; 
she  did  not  realize  how  her  mother  had  battled  with  life 
and  death.  All  she  knew  was  the  happiness  of  possessing 
a  new  dress,  new  friends  who  loved  her  and  made  her  for- 
get. Would  that  we  could  take  from  children  that  keen 
optimism  of  today;  forget  yesterday  and  trust  in  to- 
morrow— to  the  great  law  of  good  to  come.  Faith  in  fate 
is  the  foundation  of  the  swaying  soul. 

"Mother  dear,  are  you  not  getting  up?"  Each  word 
was  a  bracing  breath  which  teemed  with  new  life  and  sent 
new  life  through  the  drained  veins.  A  warning  of  Right 
over  Might  to  hold  out  on  what  is  and  must  be,  and  not 
let  it  slip  through  our  fingers. 

They  were  discussing  Ronile 's  danger,  thinking  the 
patient  was  still  in  coma;  of  how  the  child's  father  was 
trying  to  get  her ;  how  he  wanted  to  prove  that  the  mother 
was  unable  to  keep  her  and  that  he  had  more  right  than 
strangers.  They  heard  a  noise  in  the  bedroom  and  a  mo- 
ment later  a  figure  thin  and  white,  like  one  risen  from  the 
grave,  stood  on  the  threshold,  only  the  fire  in  her  eyes 
speaking  of  the  strength  and  determination  that  she  was 
ready  to  fight  like  a  tigress  for  her  own.  Alas !  The  body 
was  too  weak  to  stand  the  strain  long  and  she  swooned 
away  and  was  again  placed  in  the  bed. 

They  decided  that  it  was  better  to  leave  Ronile  with 
her  mother  as  she  seemed  to  have  a  reviving  effect  upon 
her.  The  tender  little  hands  slowly  pushed  back  the  dark 
clouds  of  unconsciousness  and  brought  her  mother  back  to 
strive  along  the  road  of  self-support. 


CHAPTER  V 

"JUST  YOU  AND  I,  MOTHEE" 

A  week  later  a  small  apartment  was  vacated  which 
Mrs.  Delien  rented,  the  friends  helping  her  to  get  some 
second-hand  furniture,  and  soon  a  nest  was  built  for  mother 
and  child,  and  how  happy  they  felt  in  their  little  home, 
with  peace  as  their  daily  guest!  However,  there  was 
another  visitor,  a  grim  one,  whose  name  was  "NEED." 
He  must  be  fought  until  the  Woman  was  strong  enough  to 
work.  She  wrote  her  lawyer  and  asked  him  to  try  and 
procure  an  allowance  for  her,  but  there  came  back  protests 
from  the  child's  father,  charging  that  his  wife  in  leaving 
him  had  made  him  ill ;  that  he  was  suffering  from  lumbago 
and  that  his  business  was  not  paying  him  enough  to  support 
himself  properly  and  that  his  brother  was  supplying 
means  for  his  daily  needs.  He  tried  hard  to  show  the 
vice-consul  how  he  suffered  by  using  a  cane  to  hobble  to 
the  witness  stand. 

The  lawyer  for  the  Woman  asked  him  who  was  paying 
the  salary  of  the  maid  he  employed  to  keep  house,  and  he 
answered  that  she  was  his  nurse  and  that  his  brother  paid 
her  salary. 

There  was  a  look  of  disgust  on  the  face  of  the  wife  and 
she  realized  that  henceforth  she  must  fight  alone  and  strug- 
gle for  the  child  God  had  given  them  and  that  it  would  be 
useless  to  try  further  to  obtain  anything  in  the  way  of 
help  from  her  husband.  She  rose  to  her  full  height  and 
in  a  weak,  trembling  voice,  said:  "I  would  not  take  a 
penny  from  this  man.  I  never  want  to  see  his  face  again, 
not  even  to  be  freed  from  him." 

The  husband  well  knew  the  meaning  of  those  words; 
he  knew  from  past  experience  that  she  never  spoke  empty 
phrases  and  respected  her  for  that,  and  felt  if  she  got  away 
from  him  now  his  last  chance  was  gone.  He  thought  lack 
of  means  would  bring  her  back  to  him,  but  now  he  saw 
that  she  was  prouder  than  before.  Her  pride  and  self- 
respect  lashed  him  like  a  blade  of  steel ;  it  robbed  him  of  his 


18  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

reason  to  hold  out  against  her  and  play  the  part  he  had 
intended  to  bring  her  back. 

With  fleetness  of  foot,  the  wife  left  the  court  room, 
the  husband  after  her  in  a  swift  gallop,  mounting  the  stairs 
and  leaving  the  cane  and  lumbago  behind  him,  much  to  the 
amusement  and  amazement  of  the  court.  The  newspapers 
gave  a  lengthy  account  of  how  the  husband  forgot  his  lum- 
bago when  he  was  trying  to  catch  hold  of  his  wife.  He 
overtook  her  by  jumping  onto  a  fast-moving  street  car,  but 
the  wife  begged  the  conductor  to  protect  her  from  his  an- 
noyance. 

For  a  long  time,  the  words  ran  through  her  mind  that 
she  was  his  wife  but  that  she  was  glad  to  brave  the  unknown 
road  of  the  future  alone.  That  night  she  told  Ronile  that 
they  did  not  have  to  worry  any  more  about  black  and  blue 
marks  on  their  bodies. 

"God  will  help  us,"  said  Ronile,  as  she  clasped  her 
hands  for  her  bedtime  prayer,  "and,  mother  dear,  just 
think  we  are  alone  and  so  happy ;  just  you  and  I,  mother. ' ' 

Mr.  Waters  told  her  about  a  position  at  the  Manhattan 
Beach  Hotel  assuring  her  that  the  work  would  be  light  and 
that  the  ocean  air  would  help  her  regain  her  strength. 

"Inez  and  mother  will  spend  the  summer  at  Sheeps- 
head  Bay,  so  you  can  see  Ronile  each  day  and  they  will 
have  the  pleasure  of  taking  care  of  that  little  pet  of  ours. ' ' 

"How  kind  you  are,  my  dear  friends,"  said  Mrs. 
Delien,  one  day  as  they  were  walking  on  the  beach.  "It 
makes  me  feel  so  happy  when  I  lie  in  my  bed  at  night  up 
in  that  tower,  with  nothing  but  the  stars  above  and  the 
roaring  of  the  ocean  below.  I  feel  so  happy,  so  secure,  so 
near  to  God." 

"Well,"  said  the  old  lady,  "it  was  the  turning  point 
in  the  road  for  you  and  He  tested  you,  the  Great  Father 
in  heaven.  If  you  cling  to  Him  now,  you  will  never  need 
to  worry  any  more.  He  will  brighten  the  way  for  you,  my 
dear.  I,  too,  brought  up  Albert  alone,  but  his  father  was 
in  heaven  and  God  let  him  help  me  rear  my  boy  and  he  is 
a  good  man  today."  She  looked  out  toward  the  ocean  and 
saw  Ronile  sitting  on  Albert's  shoulder,  clapping  her  hands 


''JUST  YOU  AND  I,  MOTHER"  19 

in  glee.  "He  loves  children,  and  why  God  doesn't  send 
him  a  child,  I  cannot  understand,  but  He  knows  best. ' ' 

That  night  the  Woman  thought  of  those  words:  "He 
will  brighten  the  way  for  you,  if  you  trust  in  Him. ' '  She 
stood  by  the  tower  window  and  reached  out  her  arms  try- 
ing to  mark  decided  lines  on  God's  registry,  lines  of  wor- 
ship and  gratitude.  In  the  evenings  she  would  sit  in  the 
park  and  listen  to  the  music  or  the  roaring  of  the  ocean 
like  a  subsiding  sound  of  past  troubles.  There  was  a 
gentleman  who  often  sat  near  her  accustomed  retreat,  of 
whom  she  took  little  notice  at  first,  but  she  often  wondered 
if  he  was  not  paid  by  her  husband  to  watch  her,  but  as 
she  had  decided  to  run  her  life  on  a  single  track,  she  had 
nothing  to  fear  from  him. 

Summer  was  nearing  its  close  and  with  it  the  secure 
feeling  of  having  meals  served  and  getting  a  regular  salary. 
She  tried  other  employment  but  always  feared  for  the 
safety  of  her  child.  One  day  as  she  was  making  Ronile  a 
woolen  cap  an  idea  came  to  her.  She  purchased  some 
yarn  and  made  samples,  crocheting  day  and  night,  but  she 
had  her  baby  by  her  side  and  they  were  happy. 

They  had  made  a  new  friend  at  the  beach.  ' '  Just  call 
me  Josie,"  she  said  when  they  asked  for  her  name,  and 
Josie  proved  to  be  sunshine  in  their  lonely  lives.  She 
would  come  with  theater  tickets  or  a  toy  for  Ronile,  always 
helped  the  Woman  finish  her  orders,  or  took  Ronile  for  a 
walk.  Sometimes  she  brought  her  pet  Pomeranian  dog  for 
Ronile  to  play  with. 

One  day  she  became  alarmed  and  said  that  a  gentle- 
man was  asking  the  janitor  if  a  little  girl  by  the  name  of 
Ronile  was  living  at  the  house ;  that  the  janitor  had  asked 
her  if  this  was  the  little  girl  the  gentleman  was  looking 
for,  and  Josie  had  said,  "No,  this  little  girl's  name  is 
Albertina. ' ' 

"That  was  very  witty  of  you,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs. 
Delien,  with  trembling  lips,  and  then  called  on  the  janitor 
to  get  a  description  of  the  gentleman  who  had  made  in- 
quiries about  the  little  girl.  The  Woman  knew  from  the 
description  that  the  gentleman  was  Ronile 's  father,  and 
when  she  came  back  she  said:  "We  must  get  away;  I 


20  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

cannot  rest  since  he  knows  where  we  are.     I  would  like  to 
go  West,  but  where  ? ' ' 

" That's  not  hard,"  replied  Josie.  "Go  where  they  all 
go !  Reno,  where  you  get  the  best  salve  to  patch  up  broken 
hearts. ' '  Josie  said  she  would  like  to  go  West,  too,  but  that 
her  work  kept  her  there  for  awhile,  and  while  she  regretted 
losing  her  friends,  she  felt  it  was  best  for  them  to  go. 


CHAPTER  VI 

RENO,   THE   CITY    OF   HEART   BALM 

Two  years  have  passed.  The  Woman  and  child  were 
once  more  on  the  train,  but  there  is  a  brighter  look  in 
their  eyes,  a  look  of  hope.  There  where  the  golden  sun  is 
setting,  there  must  be  rest.  It  was  3  A.  M.  when  the  train 
halted  to  let  them  off.  There  they  stood  chilled  to  the 
bone.  It  seemed  that  the  black  barren  hills  were  caving 
in  on  them  as  she  pulled  the  crying,  sleepy  child  up  in  her 
arms  and  mounted  the  bus  that  brought  them  to  the  River 
Hotel.  The  Woman  engaged  an  inside  room  because  the 
price  suited  her  means,  put  the  child  to  bed  and  then  sat 
down  to  think  and  wonder  what  she  would  do. 

"Oh,  my  baby,"  she  thought,  "it  is  well  for  you  that 
you  do  not  feel  the  pain  that  presses  my  heart  and  throat 
at  this  hour."  She  took  her  purse  and  counted  out  her 
earthly  goods — thirty-eight  dollars.  Her  energy  grew  as 
her  capital  dwindled,  and  she  immediately  began  making 
inquiries  as  to  the  prospects  for  securing  employment. 
The  clerk  directed  her  to  the  newspaper  office,  where  they 
often  had  inquiries  for  help. 

After  breakfast  they  went  to  the  newspaper  office  and 
received  the  address  of  a  Mrs.  Wilton  on  Maple  Avenue, 
who  was  in  need  of  a  housekeeper.  They  walked  along 
filled  with  great  hopes.  It  was  in  May  and  everything  was 
in  blossom  and  how  happy  they  felt  as  they  passed  along 
to  their  destination!  Mrs.  Wilton  was  very  nice  and 
would  gladly  have  considered  giving  the  Woman  the  posi- 
tion but  as  she  had  three  children  of  her  own,  she  felt  that 
a  fourth  would  make  too  much  confusion,  and  therefore 
felt  that  she  could  not  take  her.  The  Woman  looked  at  the 
lady  in  amazement  as  she  had  never  felt  that  Ronile  would 
be  in  anyone's  way,  but  felt  rather  that  where  the  child 
was,  there  were  blessings  and  sunshine.  Turning  to  go,  her 
eyes  rested  on  the  picture  of  a  little  boy,  with  a  pine  branch 
draped  around  it,  and  a  light  seemed  to  flit  around  the  face 
in  the  picture. 


22 

Mrs.  Wilton  watched  the  strange  look  in  the  "Woman 's 
face  and  asked,  "Does  that  picture  attract  you?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  "he  is  an  angel;  I  saw  his 
light." 

"Oh,  my,"  said  Mrs.  Wilton,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
' '  he  was  an  angel  in  life ;  too  good  to  live.  I  suppose  that 
is  why  God  took  him  away  from  me. ' ' 

Mrs.  Delien  gazed  back  at  the  picture  and  more  to  her- 
self and  the  picture,  said:  "I,  too,  have  given  God  my 
first-born,  my  little  boy.  Just  five  days  God  left  him  with 
me,  then  took  him,  to  make  me  a  more  patient  and  a  better 
woman."  Then  she  turned  around,  looked  defiantly  at 
Mrs.  Wilton,  and  said,  ' '  If  fate  threw  you  on  your  own  re- 
sources, which  one  of  your  children  would  you  give  up  ? " 

Mrs.  Wilton  looked  up  at  the  picture  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  saying,  ' '  God  only  knows,  we  can  hardly  live  without 
that  boy ;  my  health  is  broken  since  he  went. ' ' 

"Well,"  said  the  Woman,  "we  are  both  represented 
by  God;  we  gave  Him  back  the  angels  He  placed  in  our 
arms ;  we  answer  His  call  at  all  times  in  giving  up  what  He 
desires.  We  always  act  and  judge  from  a  selfish  stand- 
point ;  not  the  way  we  are  but  the  way  our  scale  of  justice 
holds  out.  Selfishness  is  a  cloak  which  holds  back  the  lit- 
tle sprouts  that  spring  from  our  body  of  existence.  We 
keep  in  close  touch  with  ourselves  only  and  shut  down  the 
shades  of  selfishness  that  keep  the  glorious  light  of  the 
sun  of  God  that  shines  through  others  and  most  of  all  when 
they  are  in  sorrow.  '  Give  and  thou  shalt  receive,  for  what- 
soever you  have  done  to  those  in  My  name,  that  you  have 
done  unto  Me.'  " 

With  these  words  as  if  in  prayer,  the  Woman  and 
child  moved  slowly  away  from  the  house,  leaving  the  lady 
to  her  thoughts.  They  answered  several  other  inquiries, 
but  all  objected  to  employing  a  woman  with  a  child.  The 
Woman  had  no  more  strength  that  morning.  In  the  af- 
ternoon they  again  ventured  out. 

On  Virginia  Bridge  they  met  a  tribe  of  Indians — the 
squaws  with  papooses  strapped  to  their  backs,  and  the  un- 
usual sight  held  their  attention  for  some  time,  Ronile  wish- 
ing to  own  one  of  the  dear,  chubby  Indian  babies,  and  ad- 


RENO,  THE  CITY  OF  HEART  BALM  23 

miring  these  healthy  primitive  children  of  God  and  Mother 
Nature  who  holds  them  all  to  her  bosom.  But,  alas !  Then 
came  civilization  which  co-operates  with  the  haughty  Mrs. 
Etiquette.  She  harbors  but  a  few,  giving  them  too  much 
luxury  and  serving  the  body  only,  forgetting  the  dial  that 
moves  the  compass  on  the  ship  of  life  into  the  harbor  of 
salvation.  Rich  food  and  drink  cripple  the  mind,  making 
the  eyes,  which  are  the  windows  of  the  soul,  grow  dim,  the 
tongue  heavy.  Only  in  sorrow  doth  the  soul  grow.  As 
these  words  ran  through  the  mind  of  the  outcast  Woman, 
she  smiled  cynically  and  she  wished  that  she  could  join 
those  nature-loving  people,  who  smiled  encouragingly  at 
Ronile  with  a  smile  which  seemed  to  say  that  with  them 
there  would  be  room  for  all;  but  with  these  people  there 
is  a  boundary  line,  which  civilization  has  created  in  her 
generosity  for  their  education.  These  mothers  have  broad, 
radiant  smiles,  showing  their  even  white  teeth,  their  shiny 
braids  of  black  hair  glistening  in  the  sunlight.  They 
seemed  so  sincere  and  one  felt  that  they  were  far  from  the 
valley  of  degeneration. 

As  they  entered  the  hotel,  Mr.  Gordon,  the  proprietor, 
spoke  to  Ronile.  "Well,"  he  said,  addressing  both,  "have 
you  seen  the  town?  It  is  very  healthful  here  among  the 
mountains."  Mrs.  Delien  introduced  herself  and  said, 
smiling  sadly,  that  they  had  covered  most  of  the  streets 
in  looking  for  employment. 

"You  must  work?"  he  asked,  and  seemed  quite  aston- 
ished, remarking  that  she  did  not  look  like  the  working 
type.  Then  he  walked  over  to  an  elderly  gentleman  with 
white  hair  and  mustache,  saying,  "Judge,  I  want  you  to 
meet  a  lady  over  here,"  leading  the  judge  over  to  Mrs. 
Delien.  Mr.  Gordon  then  informed  the  judge  of  the  neces- 
sity for  the  Woman  to  obtain  employment  to  support  her- 
self and  her  child ;  that  she  had  come  to  the  city  to  stay  if 
it  were  possible  to  obtain  the  right  kind  of  employment, 
where  she  could  keep  her  child  with  her. 

The  judge  thought  for  a  moment,  then  went  to  the 
telephone  and  called  up  his  wife,  knowing  that  she  was  in 
need  of  a  housekeeper,  and  after  hanging  up  the  telephone, 
took  out  his  card  and  wrote  on  it  the  address  of  one  of  the 


24  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

prominent  families  of  Reno,  telling  the  Woman  to  apply 
the  next  morning. 

The  grateful  look  in  her  eyes  seemed  to  appeal  to  the 
Judge,  and  after  the  Woman  and  child  had  gone  to  their 
room,  he  said  to  Mr.  Gordon :  "She  is  not  the  regular  type 
of  fish  the  tide  brings  in.  We  must  help  the  little  woman," 
and  mumbled  as  he  threw  the  ashes  of  his  cigar  away,  "I 
don 't  blame  her  for  not  wanting  to  give  up  that  little  girl ; 
wouldn't  mind  having  her  myself." 

A  little  later  we  find  the  two  outcasts  snug  in  bed  with 
an  expression  of  hope  on  their  tired  faces. 

They  were  the  first  to  enter  the  dining  room  the  next 
morning,  and  at  nine  o'clock  we  find  them  ringing  the  bell 
at  one  of  Reno 's  finest  residences.  On  the  left  stood  Mount 
Rose,  still  snow-covered,  Moana  in  the  distance,  to  the  right 
Truckee  River  rushing  in  torrents  through  the  town. 

"Oh,  mother  dear,  I  would  love  to  live  here.  Just 
see  the  robin,  he  is  not  afraid  of  me,  he  wants  me  to  stay 
here,"  and  they  thought  they  had  at  last  found  a  place 
where  they  could  live  and  work. 

The  lady  herself  answered  the  door,  which  seemed  to 
the  Woman  a  good  sign,  as  there  would  be  no  butler  to 
object  to  the  "brat"  as  she  had  heard  one  remark.  The 
Woman  handed  her  the  card  the  Judge  had  given  her  the 
day  before,  and  sizing  them  up  with  a  scrutinizing  glance, 
her  eyes  rested  on  the  child  and  biting  her  lips  the  lady 
slowly  shook  her  head  and  said  that  although  she  needed 
a  housekeeper,  she  could  not  take  the  Woman  on  account 
of  the  - 

"Stop,"  cried  the  tortured  mother.  "Don't  say  that, 
for  God 's  sake. ' '  She  knew  that  she  must  work  and  they 
had  already  wandered  over  the  town,  and  she  felt  that  this 
was  her  last  chance.  The  lady  said  she  was  expecting  a 
Chinaman  from  San  Francisco,  but  the  Woman  offered  to 
do  the  work  of  two  if  she  would  give  her  the  position  and 
let  her  keep  her  little  girl  with  her,  so  the  child  could  have 
the  extra  bed. 

The  lady  smiled  cynically,  saying:  "Your  hands  don't 
look  as  though  you  had  done  much  housework;  how  can 
you  expect  to  do  the  work  of  two  servants  ?  This  is  a  large 


'For  thus  is  the  Way  of  the  World,  on  whose  billows  a  soul  is  tossed." 

—Page  4. 


RENO,  THE  CITY  OF  HEART  BALM  25 

house  and  when  our  daughter  comes  back  we  will  entertain 
and  need  at  least  two  servants." 

Well, ' '  said  the  Woman,  ' '  I  have  my  mind  made  up  to 
work;  we  must  live  and  will  not  beg.  I  need  my  child's 
companionship  to  keep  me  up." 

"Yes,"  said  the  lady,  "all  you  divorcees  do  is  to  come 
here  and  take  our  husbands  and  sons.  I  would  rather  have 
a  Chinaman." 

"But,"  said  the  Woman,  "if  a  woman  looks  for  honest 
work,  agreeing  to  do  the  work  of  two  people  just  to  keep 
her  baby  with  her,  she  does  not  come  for  anybody's  hus- 
band; she  can  get  them  without  working,"  and  with  a 
heavy  heart  she  dragged  herself  away,  glancing  occasional- 
ly toward  the  river,  her  lips  set  with  a  determination  to  do 
or  die. 


CHAPTER  VII 

AND   A  LITTLE  CHILD   SHALL   LEAD    THEM 

The  waitress  who  served  them  their  lunch  at  the  hotel 
told  the  proprietor  that  the  lady  with  the  little  girl  seemed 
to  be  sick;  that  she  did  not  touch  a  bite  of  food,  and  she 
feared  that  she  was  becoming  very  ill.  Mr.  Gordon  walked 
over  to  her  and  found  her  looking  far  beyond  her  food; 
that  she  was  not  conscious  of  anything  around  her.  He 
talked  to  Ronile  and  told  her  to  bring  her  mother  to  Mrs. 
Gordon's  apartment  after  lunch.  Mrs.  Gordon  was  not 
well  but  seemed  anxious  to  do  good  and  they  decided  to 
make  the  Woman  the  head  waitress. 

Once  more  the  light  of  gratitude  shone  in  the  Wo- 
man's eyes,  but  her  good  fortune  was  of  short  duration,  as 
shortly  after  she  had  started  her  work  as  head  waitress, 
one  of  the  divorce-candidates,  a  good-natured,  half-the-time 
intoxicated  gentleman  became  more  than  pleasant  and 
slipped  a  note  into  her  hand  as  he  left  the  dining  room. 

If  a  viper  had  stung  her  the  effect  could  not  have  been 
more  disgusting.  "A  date,"  he  demanded.  She  crushed 
the  paper  in  the  palm  of  her  hand  and  threw  it  into  the 
waste-basket.  This  gave  her  a  view  of  the  side  porch  where 
the  man  sat  with  Ronile  on  his  lap,  kissing  her  continually, 
and  she  noticed  that  a  glass  filled  with  liquor  stood  on  the 
table  near  him.  How  it  brought  back  the  trouble  and  suf- 
fering she  had  gone  through,  and  now  to  see  her  baby  be- 
ing fondled  by  this  evil-minded  man,  and  she  not  able  to 
take  her  away  from  him,  for  she  was  on  duty.  She  thought 
perhaps  this  man  had  been  paid  by  her  husband  to  get 
evidence  against  her,  and  that  a  public  position  such  as  she 
occupied  in  the  hotel  was  not  to  her  benefit  until  she  was 
free.  She  feared  that  he  might  steal  Ronile,  for  indeed 
after  six  months  she  found  out  that  he  had  tried  to  do  so. 

The  Woman  then  told  Mr.  Gordon  that  she  felt  she 
would  have  to  give  up  the  position,  and  also  told  him  about 
the  note. 

He  replied,  ' '  That  is  why  the  position  of  head  waitress 


AND  A  LITTLE  CHILD  SHALL  LEAD  THEM    27 

is  often  open, ' '  but  that  he  was  unable  to  control  the  mor- 
als of  his  guests. 

The  Woman  took  the  child  by  the  hand  and  they  walked 
toward  the  river  bank  and  sat  down.  Ronile  was  looking 
for  four-leaf  clovers,  the  mother  for  a  way  out  of  her 
misery.  She  pictured  that  if  he  stole  the  child  she  was 
without  means  to  follow  him,  and  thought  what  the  child's 
future  would  be  with  a  lawless  father;  and  as  she  seemed 
to  have  failed  TO  DO,  it  was  better  to  die ;  that  the  child 
would  be  in  God's  care,  and  she  would  pay  the  penalty  with 
her  soul,  and  if  Hell  was  worse  than  the  misery  she  had 
suffered,  she  would  take  the  consequences.  "It  is  Ronile 's 
happiness,  and  oh,  dear  Lord,  that  gave  her  to  me,  I  will 
return  her  to  you.  Perhaps  she  is  misplaced  here,  but  I 
love  her  so  that  I  want  to  spare  her  my  fate,  a  soul  tossed 
on  the  billows  of  conditions." 

Ronile  had  found  a  four-leaf  clover  and  joyously 
she  ran  to  her  mother.  "Look,  mama  dear,  I  know  we  will 
have  good  luck,"  and  turning  she  saw  a  massive  building, 
where  only  yesterday  she  had  cried  out :  ' '  The  robin  wants 
me  here,  but  not  mankind.  The  image  of  God  through 
which  the  Father  intends  to  manifest,  for  He  too  was  born 
of  woman  when  He  came  as  Son  of  God — Man,  guided 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  prove  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity ;  what 
was  His  reward  ? — crucifixion.  Still  He  forgave  them,  say- 
ing, 'Forgive  them  for  they  know  not  what  they  do.'  " 
With  those  words  on  her  lips  she  moved  farther  up  the 
river  bank.  "God  forgave  them,"  she  murmured,  and  her 
eyes  rested  on  a  bridge  near  Washington  Street.  There 
she  wanted  to  give  up  their  miserable  bodies,  for  the  waves 
to  play  into  fragments  rather  than  that  man  should  tear 
their  souls  as  well. 

She  seemed  entranced — a  body  moving  on  to  end  a 
struggle,  yet  the  child  full  of  life  was  unaware  of  the 
mother's  intention  to  seek  rest  for  their  weary  bodies. 

"There  is  no  rest,"  she  thought,  "for  will  we  not  be 
tossed  by  the  waves  into  an  ugly  mass  ?  Yet,  the  soul  loses 
hold  of  its  house ;  it  tries  to  get  away  for  it  has  missed  in 
fate  the  faith.  Oh,  thou  God,  art  Thou  not  nearest  when 


28 

need  is  greatest  ? ' '  Indeed,  for  through  unseen  powers  the 
childish  frame  moved  away  from  the  mother's  cold  grasp. 

They  came  to  a  church,  one  stained-glass  window 
showing  a  picture  of  the  Good  Shepherd  holding  a  lamb  in 
His  arms.  The  child  hastily  climbed  the  steps  and  stood 
transfixed,  then  walked  up  the  aisle  of  the  empty  church. 
The  smell  of  incense  still  rested  soothingly  on  the  atmos- 
phere. It  was  Decoration  Day  and  the  cemetery  was  filled 
with  people  decorating  the  graves  of  their  loved  ones.  The 
mother  followed  the  child  into  the  church.  By  that  time 
she  was  standing  before  the  altar  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

Suddenly,  she  heard  the  voice  of  her  child  raised  im- 
ploringly to  the  dear  Mother  of  the  Saviour,  as  she  held 
up  the  four-leaf  clover:  "Please,  I  give  you  this,  if  you 
will  help  us  get  work;  nobody  wants  my  mother  because 
she  has  me.  You  will  understand.  You  had  to  hide  your 
Baby  from  Herod  when  he  wanted  to  kill  Him,  but  see," 
as  she  stretched  her  little  arms  upward,  ' '  you  had  a  daddy 
and  a  donkey,  and  we  have  nobody."  Tears  were  rolling 
over  the  face  of  the  child;  the  clover  leaf  trembled  in  her 
hand.  Then  the  mother  for  the  first  time  looked  up  at  the 
Statue,  and  behold,  "a  little  child  shall  lead  them." 

The  statue  seemed  to  take  life;  the  Babe  in  her  arms 
took  the  clover  and  laid  its  hand  on  the  child's  head,  say- 
ing, "Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  for  theirs  is 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven."  They  moved  toward  the  Wo- 
man and  touched  her  brow,  and  a  cold  quiver  ran  over  her 
form.  The  Blessed  Virgin  held  the  chin  up,  compelling 
the  eyes  to  look  into  hers,  thus  establishing  a  union,  com- 
pelling reason  to  return  and  transmitting  the  current 
between  heaven  and  earth,  pouring  God's  breath  into  a 
hungry  soul.  The  look  was  radiant,  it  seemed  that  a  magic 
spell  had  loosened  the  iron  ring  that  held  the  Woman's 
heart  and  soul  asunder,  and  soon  hot  tears  were  flowing 
down  on  the  clasped  hands,  as  if  to  wash  away  the  stain  left 
by  the  thought  of  self-destruction. 

Once  more,  hope  through  faith  was  awakened  in  a 
swaying  soul,  as  they  moved  slowly  out  of  the  church  and 
on  toward  the  hotel. 

It  was  late  when  they  arrived  and  some  of  the  guests 


AND  A  LITTLE  CHILD  SHALL  LEAD  THEM    29 

at  the  hotel  were  leaving  the  dining  room  after  the  evening 
ineal.  Mr.  Gordon  walked  rapidly  toward  them  saying  that 
Mrs.  Neil  had  called  up  and  wanted  to  see  her  at  once. 

Mrs.  Neil  had  been  to  the  cemetery  decorating  the 
grave  of  her  child,  when  a  voice  seemed  to  say  to  her : ' '  Oh, 
mother,  why  do  you  pay  tribute  to  bones  when  you  refused 
shelter  to  a  living  child?  We  are  all  serving  at  His  altar 
and  our  duty  is  to  watch  over  our  loved  ones,  leading  them 
toward  the  Father  by  doing  good  deeds  for  one  another. 
I  am  very  sad,  for  the  lilies  you  gave  me  are  filled  with 
tears  from  a  homeless  child ;  they  cannot  serve  the  altar  of 
God  with  tears  of  sorrow  in  them." 

Mrs.  Neil,  who  had  refused  shelter  and  work  to  the 
Woman,  went  home  at  once  and  tried  to  reach  them,  al- 
ways seeing  before  her  the  "lilies  filled  with  tears."  On 
the  second  visit  of  the  Woman  and  her  child,  Mrs.  Neil, 
moved  by  the  voice  she  heard  in  the  cemetery,  agreed  to 
employ  the  Woman  and  allow  her  to  keep  the  child  with 
her,  giving  her  permission  to  play  in  the  smoking  den  at 
certain  times  of  the  day,  and  so  it  came  about  that  instead 
of  allowing  despair  to  conquer  over  faith,  she  had  at  last 
found  food  and  shelter  for  herself  and  child  when  fate  led 
her  to  the  little  church  near  the  river. 

Mrs.  Neil  was  right  when  she  said  there  was  work  for 
two,  but  the  Woman  was  determined  to  hold  out.  The 
robin  held  greater  charm  and  the  clover  leaves  had  more 
attraction  for  the  child  than  the  smoking  den. 

One  day  Senator  Nixon  passed  in  his  car  and  took  the 
little  girl  for  a  ride.  On  their  return  the  lady  for  the  first 
time  took  the  little  one  and  held  her  hand  as  she  waved 
good-by  to  the  Senator.  After  that  Ronile  was  the  chief 
attraction  in  the  family,  but  the  mother  had  more  will 
power  than  strength  and  soon  we  find  her  ill  and  unable 
to  do  the  work  required  of  her.  The  Woman  had  never 
made  any  bargain  as  to  salary,  and  after  two  weeks'  time 
asked  Mrs.  Neil  if  she  was  satisfied  with  her  work,  and  on 
learning  that  she  was,  ventured  to  ask  her  about  her  sal- 
ary, and  was  told  that  she  would  pay  her  thirty-five  dol- 
lars a  month. 


30  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"But,"  said  the  Woman,  "Judge  Jarvis  said  you 
would  pay  forty  dollars  a  month,  and  I  am  doing  the  work 
of  two ! ' '  Then  the  lady  told  her  that  she  was  making  the 
salary  less  on  account  of  the  child's  board.  The  Woman 
offered  to  buy  the  milk  which  her  child  needed,  but  the 
lady  told  her  she  could  get  a  Chinaman  if  she  wanted  to 
pay  forty  dollars. 

' '  Oh,  Mrs.  Neil, ' '  she  said,  ' '  how  can  you  compare  me 
with  a  Chinaman,"  and  resolved  to  leave  at  the  first  op- 
portunity. 

The  following  Sunday  evening  after  dinner  had  been 
served,  although  she  was  very  tired,  the  Woman  felt  that 
she  must  consult  at  least  a  druggist  to  relieve  a  queer  sen- 
sation around  her  heart  and  severe  pain  when  she  took  a 
full  breath.  Sometimes,  too,  her  teeth  became  set  and  she 
was  so  weak  she  could  scarcely  do  the  work  she  was  called 
upon  to  do.  One  of  her  tasks  was  to  carry  up  scuttles  of 
coal  to  keep  a  fire  in  the  kitchen  stove  on  account  of  the 
hot  water.  Poor  little  Ronile  tried  her  best  to  help  her, 
but  the  scuttle  was  too  big  for  her  and  she  took  newspapers 
and  wrapped  them  around  the  pieces  of  coal  and  carried 
them  up  one  by  one,  sometimes  looking  as  black  as  the  coal 
itself. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

AT    THE   FOUNTAIN   OF   DESPAIR 

In  the  drug  store  they  met  a  sweet  old  lady  from  West 
Virginia,  who  was  giving  a  little  dinner  at  the  Thomas 
Cafe,  and  begged  them  to  join  her.  The  Woman  told  her 
they  had  been  to  dinner,  but  she  insisted,  and  as  they  en- 
tered one  of  the  guests  became  alarmed  because  there  would 
be  thirteen  at  table,  but  the  Woman  assured  them  that  they 
would  not  partake.  Some  of  the  readers  may  well  remem- 
ber the  little  dinner  party  given  by  the  dear  old  lady,  Mrs. 
Kaufman,  who  died  shortly  afterward  of  heart  disease. 

The  Woman  was  introduced  to  a  little  "Butterfly 
Lady"  who  had  just  joined  the  "Colony  of  Broken 
Hearts,"  although  many  of  the  members  of  the  colony  did 
not  suffer  greatly  from  broken  hearts.  The  chief  pastimes 
of  the  divorce  candidates  were  horseback  riding  and  par- 
ties where  the  drink  flowed  freely.  Mrs.  Devitt  was  the 
Butterfly  Lady,  and  she  expressed  a  desire  to  leave  the 
hotel  and  take  a  house,  so  it  was  arranged  with  the  help  of 
Mrs.  Kaufman  that  the  Woman  and  her  little  girl  should 
take  charge  of  Mrs.  Devitt 's  house,  at  a  salary  of  forty 
dollars  a  month.  This  appealed  to  the  Woman  for  she  felt 
she  could  not  stand  much  longer  to  hold  out  under  the  work 
she  was  doing  in  her  present  place  with  Mrs.  Neil.  When 
she  told  Mrs.  Neil  that  she  was  going  to  leave,  Mrs.  Neil 
was  very  indignant  to  think  the  Woman  would  leave  her 
to  work  for  Mrs.  Devitt,  reminding  her  of  the  loose  char- 
acters of  the  divorcees. 

Mrs.  Devitt  rented  a  ten-room  house  for  forty  dollars ; 
her  horse  cost  her  forty  dollars  a  month,  and  the  Woman's 
wages  were  forty  dollars.  The  Mistress,  as  she  called  her- 
self, had  in  all  two  hundred  dollars  a  month  income,  so 
there  was  eighty  dollars  left  for  food  and  the  expenses  of 
the  little  butterfly.  It  was  a  change  for  the  better  in  a 
way.  The  work  was  not  to  be  so  hard  for  the  Woman,  as  the 
little  lady  was  out  a  great  deal  for  she  was  getting  quite 
popular,  although  she  often  held  parties  at  her  home.  The 


32  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Woman's  room  was  far  enough  away  from  the  scene  of  the 
parties  not  to  interfere  with  her  rest,  but  often  in  the 
morning  on  coming  into  the  front  of  the  house  she  would 
find  the  pictures  turned,  the  piano  on  the  porch  and  tur- 
moil throughout.  Sometimes  the  guests  could  not  go 
home  and  in  the  morning  she  would  have  to  prepare  break- 
fast for  all  with  a  disgust  that  was  beyond  description. 

One  morning  she  came  down  and  found  the  very  gen- 
tleman who  had  slipped  her  the  note  mixing  an  absinthe 
frappe  in  the  pantry.  The  smell  of  the  liquor  robbed  her 
of  all  sense  of  obedience  as  a  servant.  She  picked  up  the 
glass  and  threw  it  on  the  floor  with  a  defiant  look  at  the 
man ;  then  cried  out,  "  If  it  were  not  for  drink  I  would  not 
be  here."  The  man  looked  at  her  in  amazement  and  left 
the  room  calling  himself  a  fool. 

After  the  lady  got  up,  the  Woman  spoke  to  her  of  her 
youth  and  the  danger  of  her  associating  with  people  like 
that  man,  who  did  not  care  for  her;  that  after  he  had 
picked  the  flower  he  would  throw  it  aside  discarded  and 
class  her  with  a  field  of  daisies  swaying  in  the  breeze ;  then 
when  all  the  petals  of  sweetness  were  gone,  the  stem  would 
be  thrown  by  the  wayside  for  the  passer-by  to  tread  upon. 
No  one  would  care  for  the  broken  flower,  but  all  would  go 
into  the  field  and  pick  while  they  lasted.  Once  the  flower 
was  broken  it  would  be  shunned  by  every  one. 

Then  remorse  entered,  and  a  pitiful  story  ran  from 
those  young  sensuous  lips.  She  had  married,  at  fifteen,  a 
young  schoolmate  who  was  unable  to  support  her,  and  she 
went  to  New  York  seeking  employment  on  the  stage.  One 
of  the  managers  took  an  interest  in  her  and  she  told  him 
she  had  been  married.  He  sent  for  the  young  husband, 
but  the  child-wife  was  not  willing  to  live  in  the  way  he 
was  able  to  support  her.  She  told  him  he  could  not  buy 
her  pretty  gowns  and  jewels,  and  she  would  not  live  with 
him.  The  boy  told  her  he  was  too  proud  to  beg  but  would 
work  his  way  up,  and  showed  her  his  worn-out  shoes  and 
clothes  and  that  he  could  not  buy  new  ones.  She  begged 
the  rich  friend  to  give  him  work.  Instead  the  man  put 
temptation  in  the  boy's  way  and  he  fell,  trying  to  get 
money  to  support  his  wife  in  the  way  she  wanted  to  live. 


AT  THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  DESPAIR  33 

The  man  had  him  watched  and  secured  evidence  against 
him,  which  resulted  in  five  years'  imprisonment  for  theft. 
This,  however,  was  not  grounds  for  divorce,  so  the  rich 
friend  sent  the  young  wife  west  with  the  allowance  re- 
ferred to  of  two  hundred  dollars  a  month. 

In  horror  the  "Woman  listened  to  the  story  told  by  the 
young  wife  who  did  not  seem  to  be  the  least  concerned 
about  the  life  she  was  leading,  and  gave  no  thought  appar- 
ently to  her  girlhood  sweetheart  who  suffered  in  prison, 
with  love  for  her  still  burning  in  his  heart,  counting  each 
day  with  new  hope,  as  the  time  drew  nearer  when  he 
would  be  with  her.  She  took  out  some  of  his  letters  which 
she  said  were  the  only  love  letters  she  had  ever  received; 
that  her  rich  friend  would  not  write  her  love  letters  fearing 
that  he  might  be  sued  for  breach  of  promise. 

The  Woman  sat  awhile  lost  in  thought  and  searching 
prisons  in  her  mind  to  find  some  way  to  release  a  victim 
of  circumstances.  She  said  to  the  little  lady :  ' '  So,  at  eight- 
een you  are  through  with  love  letters  when  they  should 
only  be  beginning.  Law  is  law,  my  dear,  and  we  must 
abide  by  it,  or  pay  the  penalty  with  remorse.  These  men 
will  boast  of  dragging  you  through  the  mire,  and  make 
love  to  you,  but  when  they  want  to  build  a  nest  for  the  ONE 
woman  they  will  seek  out  a  good  girl  to  be  the  mother  of 
their  children.  In  after  years,  when  in  company  with  his 
wife,  he  would  not  recognize  you,  and  if  you  should  hap- 
pen to  meet  them  together,  and  he  spoke  to  you,  he  would 
refrain  from  introducing  you  to  his  wife.  If  she  made  any 
inquiry  as  to  who  you  are  he  would  evade  the  question 
and  would  tell  her  he  would  not  want  her  to  speak  to  you ; 
that  you  are  a  disreputable  character  with  whom  he  would 
not  allow  her  to  associate  and  that  your  husband  was  in 
prison."  And  so  the  Woman  opened  a  new  book  of  life 
to  a  crushed  flower  who  was  indeed  lying  on  the  floor  sob- 
bing out  her  bitterness  at  the  sacrifice  of  her  youth  and 
purity. 

The  Woman  told  her  she  was  seeking  freedom,  not 
because  there  was  anyone  waiting  for  her,  but  just  to  be 
free  to  hold  Eonile  alone  and  to  be  free  from  subjection. 

The  blowing  of  a  horn  was  heard  and  on  going  to  the 


34 

door  the  Woman  beheld  a  crowd  calling  for  the  young 
Mistress  to  come  along;  that  there  was  a  newcomer  in  the 
party,  a  lean,  sporty,  English-appearing  man  of  about 
thirty.  The  little  lady  was  soon  ready  to  join  them,  run- 
ning out  to  meet  them,  the  "Woman  looking  after,  shaking 
her  head.  Forgotten  were  the  love  letters,  husband,  ad- 
vice and  warnings.  Like  a  butterfly  she  flitted  on  and 
would  until  her  wings  were  broken. 

From  that  time  on  she  was  ever  in  the  company  of  the 
newcomer,  who  took  her  on  long  trips  alone,  much  to  the 
chagrin  of  her  other  associates,  who  in  malice  and  revenge 
wrote  to  her  New  York  friend,  resulting  in  his  stopping 
her  allowance. 

Mr.  Rimpel,  the  Englishman,  did  not  make  any  prom- 
ises to  her  as  he  was  only  waiting  to  be  free  so  that  he 
could  re-marry.  He  introduced  her  to  a  wealthy  man  of 
San  Francisco,  who  liked  her  very  much  but  did  not  trust 
"a  daisy  in  a  big  field,"  so  to  find  her  out  he  sent  her  a 
private  maid,  who  stayed  with  her  two  weeks,  and  left 
with  enough  information  to  satisfy  the  man's  suspicions 
and  he  did  not  call  on  the  young  Butterfly  Lady  again. 

Being  without  an  income  she  went  back  east  thinking 
she  could  become  reconciled  with  her  former  friend,  so 
we  find  the  Woman  again  out  of  employment,  but  glad  to 
be  out  of  the  glamour  of  it  all. 

The  Woman  had  saved  a  little  money  and  took  a  small 
apartment,  consisting  of  living  room  with  wall-bed,  a 
kitchenette  and  bath.  It  was  an  inside  room,  but  peace 
was  reigning  and  a  chance  to  pray.  She  had  no  further 
thought  of  suicide — a  power  seemed  to  hold  her  in  patience 
and  faith.  She  put  Ronile  in  school  and  took  a  position 
as  demonstrator  at  twenty  dollars  a  week,  which  lasted  for 
two  weeks. 

Soon  after  Percy  Rimpel  called  her  up  and  asked  her 
if  she  would  cater  for  a  party  he  was  giving  consisting  of 
a  cold  lunch  and  punch.  There  was  not  enough  liquor  to 
make  punch  for  the  crowd,  and  when  she  told  the  host  this 
he  told  her  that  they  would  soon  get  drunk  and  then  they 
would  not  need  any  more.  She  followed  his  instructions, 
and  thinking  to  make  more  punch  she  made  a  pot  of  tea 


AT  THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  DESPAIR  35 

and  added  it  to  the  punch,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  host, 
as  it  kept  them  all  sober.  He  reproached  her  and  she  be- 
came so  disgusted  that  thereafter  she  resolved  not  to  ac- 
cept further  employment  of  the  kind,  believing  it  would 
be  better  to  economize  on  what  money  she  could  earn  in 
other  ways. 

She  lengthened  Ronile's  dresses,  and  as  she  sewed  the 
idea  came  to  her  of  making  fancy  caps  of  silk  and  lace  and 
was  well  paid  for  her  time  spent  in  this  way. 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE  MIEACLB 

One  night  as  she  was  working  in  the  kitchen  on  the 
caps  of  silk  and  lace,  and  Ronile  was  asleep  in  the  living 
room,  there  came  to  her  a  smell  of  roses,  although  it  was 
near  Thanksgiving  and  she  was  not  fortunate  enough  to 
be  able  to  keep  flowers  in  the  house,  and  had  never  cared 
for  perfume.  Suddenly,  a  brilliant  light  came  before  her, 
and  through  the  light  emerged  a  pink  rose,  then  a  hand, 
and  then  a  form  so  sweet,  dressed  in  a  robe  of  bluish  white 
with  a  golden  border.  The  form  smiled  radiantly  and 
taking  the  hand  of  the  "Woman  made  an  exact  copy  of  the 
pink  rose.  Then  the  vision  vanished  but  the  rose  remained. 
How  she  ever  got  to  bed  she  could  not  recall.  In  the  morn- 
ing it  seemed  as  if  she  had  been  dreaming,  but  when  she 
saw  the  rose  she  knew  the  silent  visitor  was  again  to  give 
her  strength.  Ronile  took  the  rose  with  open  mouth  and, 
gazing  at  her  mother,  tenderly  kissed  the  flower,  saying, 
"How  sweet  it  smells,  mother  dear." 

There  was  indeed  happiness  prevailing.  They  would 
go  to  the  Wigwam  Theater  on  Saturday  afternoons  and 
enjoy  the  "Children's  Show,"  which  included  a  candy 
shower.  Often  they  would  go  upstairs  and  sit  where  the 
Indians  were  and  they  were  entertained  as  much  by  watch- 
ing them  as  they  were  by  the  play  itself. 

In  the  evenings  the  Woman  worked  on  the  caps  and 
flowers;  in  the  daytime  she  would  sell  them.  Even  Mrs. 
Neil  who  doubted  the  character  of  divorcees  knew  by  this 
time  that  not  all  divorced  women  were  trying  to  get  some 
other  woman's  husband.  She  helped  by  purchasing  many 
dainty  novelties.  How  different  they  felt  as  they  climbed 
the  hill  to  deliver  some  of  their  orders,  which  resulted  in 
a  nice  visit  and  many  friendships  were  formed  in  this  way. 
On  one  such  trip  Ronile  was  given  a  small  amount  of  money 
and  she  had  a  dozen  places  for  it.  First  the  Piggy  Bank, 
which  for  so  long  had  been  empty,  and  she  felt  that  to  make 
the  Piggy  satisfied  it  would  have  to  have  money  in  its  belly. 


THE  MIRACLE  37 

The  mother  gave  her  the  choice  of  having  an  ice  cream  soda 
or  going  to  a  movie  show. 

Ronile  studied  awhile  and  then  said,  "Which  is  the 
cheaper,  mother  dear?"  and  the  Woman  was  so  amused 
at  her  remark  that  she  bought  her  the  soda  and  took  her  to 
the  show  as  well. 

Going  home  that  day  with  light  hearts  and  buoyant 
steps  they  had  another  companion,  a  collie  dog  that  fol- 
lowed them  every  time  they  went  down  town.  The  Wo- 
man petted  him  gently  and  told  him  of  the  bone  he  could 
have  now  for  they  had  their  own  home  and  were  buying 
their  own  food  and  would  surely  have  enough  for  him. 

Her  thoughts  wandered  back  to  the  time  when  she  was 
employed  by  the  little  Butterfly  Lady,  who  was  giving  an 
all-day  party  and  she  had  kept  Ronile  out  in  the  yard  in 
order  that  she  might  not  come  in  contact  with  the  mass 
of  drunken  men  and  women.  After  the  guests  had  gone 
she  brought  the  child  into  the  house  and  she  was  burning 
with  fever,  and  asked  to  be  put  to  bed.  She  said  she  had 
wanted  a  drink  of  water  for  a  long  time  but  was  afraid  to 
come  in  the  house  on  account  of  the  noise  the  guests  were 
making.  The  mother  put  her  to  bed. 

The  room  was  very  warm  but  not  knowing  when  the 
mistress  and  her  friends  would  return  she  thought  it  best 
to  leave  her  there.  She  took  a  peacock  feather  fan  out  of 
her  trunk  and  used  it  to  cool  the  air  about  the  weary  little 
child.  Ronile  had  always  wanted  the  fan  but  on  account 
of  the  delicate  feathers  and  the  fact  that  it  had  been  given 
her  by  her  husband  long  ago,  the  Woman  refrained  from 
giving  it  to  her  until  she  had  grown  to  be  a  young  lady. 
But  Ronile  did  not  care  about  the  fan  now ;  she  turned  her 
head  and  closed  her  eyes  for  a  few  minutes  and  then  be- 
gan to  toss  and  turn  in  the  bed  and  her  fever  increased. 
The  mother  rushed  down  to  get  ice  and  found  that  it  had 
all  been  used  in  the  drinks  at  the  party  and  she  went  back 
to  the  sick  child  and  with  her  cold  hands  tried  to  soothe 
her  burning  brow.  If  the  pleasure-seekers  could  have  seen 
the  mother  as  she  knelt  anxiously  at  the  bedside  of  her 
sick  child,  perhaps  they  would  have  paused  in  their  desire 
for  lust  and  pleasure,  but  it  seemed  that  the  Father  above 


36  THE  WAY  OP  THE  WORLD 

heard  her  prayer,  for  a  ray  of  light  seemed  again  to  cross 
the  bed  and  from  it  emerged  the  figure  of  an  old  lady 
reaching  for'  the  child.  With  one  hand  the  trembling 
mother  held  her  and  with  the  other  hand  she  waved  back 
the  form,  saying :  ' '  Oh,  no,  dearest  God,  let  me  keep  her  to 
keep  faith  in  You.  How  can  I  live  without  her?  I  will 
ask  nothing  else,  oh,  Lord,  just  this  one  appeal;  let  me 
keep  her, ' '  and  looking  at  the  vision  she  beheld  the  form  of 
her  husband's  mother,  with  her  eyes  cast  upward,  repeat- 
ing, "Thy  Will  Be  Done"  and  then  she  vanished.  (Two 
years  afterwards  the  Woman  found  out  that  the  child's 
grandmother  had  died  at  that  time.)  For  a  long  time  the 
Woman  knelt  by  the  bed,  half  stunned,  watching  the  sick 
child  who  was  now  sleeping  peacefully. 

From  downstairs  there  came  a  scratching  sound  as  if 
some  one  was  trying  to  get  in.  The  Woman  went  down 
thinking  perhaps  it  was  her  mistress,  but  no,  it  was  the  dog, 
Shep,  wanting  to  get  in  to  see  his  little  mistress.  She 
spoke  gently  to  the  dog,  telling  him  he  would  have  to  be 
very  quiet  and  that  he  could  go  up  and  see  Ronile  if  he 
were  good.  She  led  him  up  the  stairs  and  into  the  sick 
room.  The  child's  hand  hung  over  the  edge  of  the  bed 
and  the  dog  touched  it  with  his  tongue,  waking  her  up. 
The  mother 's  hands  once  more  folded  in  earnest  prayer  and 
thanksgiving  as  she  repeated  also,  "Thy  Will  Be  Done." 

On  Sundays  they  would  walk  out  to  the  desert ;  some- 
times to  the  reservation.  Shep  was  then  in  his  glory, 
breaking  the  stillness  with  his  bark  and  chasing  coyotes, 
running  around  the  Woman  and  child  and  barking  as  if  to 
say,  ' '  Are  you  glad  I  am  with  you  ? ' '  And  they  would  pet 
him  and  assure  him  that  they  needed  him  always. 


CHAPTER  X 

BACK  TO  THE  FOLD 

The  landlady  of  the  house  where  the  Woman  and  her 
little  girl  were  living  introduced  her  to  a  new  guest  in  the 
colony.  She  knew  the  danger  of  newcomers  and  tried  to 
have  those  who  lived  in  her  house  meet  a  line  of  people  of 
respectable  standing.  She  asked  the  "Woman  to  caution 
the  newcomer  about  being  careful  in  making  the  acquain- 
tance of  strangers.  So  the  Woman  told  Mrs.  McHenry, 
the  new  arrival,  that  if  she  ever  needed  advice  to  come  to 
her  and  pointed  out  a  few  stations  to  her,  telling  her  to  be 
careful  about  entering  those  with  red  lights  more  than  any 
other.  Mrs.  McHenry  had  an  income  of  thirty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year,  which  the  Woman  advised  and  begged 
her  to  say  nothing  about.  Sometimes  when  Mrs.  McHenry 
saw  the  light  still  burning  in  the  Woman's  room  she  would 
knock  gently  and  enter  and  after  going  to  the  bed  and 
kissing  Bonile  would  come  into  the  kitchen  and  sit  with 
the  Woman,  who  by  this  time  was  making  all  kinds  of 
flowers.  She  would  look  them  over,  admiring  them,  and 
wonder  how  she  could  have  the  patience  to  work  so  late. 

The  Woman  smiled  sadly,  pointing  to  the  bed,  saying : 
"We  must  all  labor,  my  dear.  I  labor  to  keep  my  child 
with  me ;  you  labor  mentally  by  drowning  your  conscious- 
ness and  forgetting  your  child.  You  see,  Mrs.  McHenry, 
we  keep  the  same  hours.  I  am  tired  but  not  weary;  you 
are  weary  but  not  tired." 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  McHenry,  "I  think  I  shall  have  to 
ring  up  Dr.  Charles  and  ask  him  to  give  me  a  shot  in  the 
arm,  as  otherwise  I  won't  be  able  to  sleep  tonight.  I  am 
broke ;  we  had  such  a  good  time  at  the  Rix  this  afternoon 
and  I  paid  the  bill." 

The  Woman  put  aside  her  work  for  the  night  and 
made  them  a  cup  of  tea,  and  as  they  were  sipping  the  re- 
freshing beverage,  the  Woman  said:  "You  don't  have  to 
put  that  deadly  drug  into  your  system;  make  up  your 
mind  that  tomorrow  you  will  do  something  worth  while. 


40  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Think  of  your  child.  Beg  your  husband  to  bring  it  to 
you.  I  know  he  will  gladly  do  this ;  then  your  mother  love 
will  conquer  your  love  of  pleasure  and  you  will  be  a  bet- 
ter woman  and  a  happier  one. ' ' 

On  another  occasion,  Mrs.  McHenry  became  quite 
frightened  over  the  death  of  a  young  woman  member  of 
the  party  who  had  died  the  night  before.  She  was  a  victim 
of  absinthe  although  only  twenty  years  old.  Mrs.  McHenry 
said  she  hated  the  stuff,  and  wished  she  could  get  away 
from  it.  The  Woman  asked  her  why  she  did  not  get  away 
from  it ;  that  she  had  her  baby  and  could  make  up  her  mind 
to  leave  it  alone  forever  by  spending  her  time  in  caring  for 
her  child. 

"Oh,"  interrupted  the  visitor  impatiently,  "why  do 
you  always  mention  the  baby?  My  mother-in-law  takes 
better  care  of  her  than  I  could." 

"But,"  said  the  Woman,  "God  gave  you  that  baby  to 
hold  you  firm  to  the  path  of  duty.  What  will  your  daugh- 
ter think  of  you,  if  (and  she  emphasized  that  word  if)  you 
live  to  see  her  grown  up?  Would  you  like  to  see  her  fol- 
low your  example?  Why  do  you  not  be  the  stalk  for  that 
tender  plant  to  grow  upon?  Without  your  help  she  will 
not  be  able  to  climb  and  there  is  danger  of  her  being 
stepped  upon. ' '  Then  pointing  to  Ronile  she  said,  ' '  There 
is  my  hold ;  even  though  her  frame  is  small,  it  steadied  my 
swaying  body  many  times  until  the  storms  of  life  had  sub- 
sided." The  Woman  told  her  of  her  sad  experience  with 
her  former  employer,  how  she  had  submitted  to  much  un- 
pleasantness to  keep  her  child  with  her. 

Many  times  Mrs.  McHenry  would  dress  Ronile  and 
wonder  if  she  would  be  good  enough  to  dress  her  own,  and 
as  she  fondled  Ronile  a  new  robe  of  mother-love  seemed  to 
envelop  her,  and  finally,  with  the  help  and  encouragement 
of  the  Woman  she  returned  to  her  former  home,  where 
there  were  waiting  a  child,  a  man  and  an  elderly  woman, 
waiting  for  a  lost  one  to  return  to  their  loving  arms,  and 
that  night  she  thanked  Fate  for  bringing  her  home.  She 
realized  that  the  life  of  pleasure  is  often  not  what  we  pic- 
ture it. 

"First  it  fills  us  to  the  brim,  sometimes  running  over,' 


'Black   fears   and   horrors  that  soul   doth   taunt 
While  grappling  with  itself  in  doubt." 


— Page  4. 


BACK  TO  THE  FOLD  41 

she  said;  "then  we  become  hardened  and  calloused  and 
disgusted  with  ourselves,"  she  continued  with  an  effort. 
She  told  them  of  the  death  of  the  young  woman  only  twenty 
years  old,  dying  a  victim  of  drink ;  another  went  to  become 
reconciled  with  her  sweetheart,  who  rejected  her,  and 
they  found  her  dead  from  gas  fumes  in  a  cheap  lodging 
house.  "And,"  she  continued,  "I  want  to  tell  you  about 
a  woman  who  never  got  tired  talking  to  me.  She  makes 
flowers  through  a  vision,  she  said.  I  am  ashamed  now  when 
I  think  of  how  I  spent  money  on  parties  and  this  woman 
worked  every  night  to  make  a  flower  or  boudoir  cap 
and  would  help  me  to  bed  when  I  knocked  at  her  door 
after  coming  home  drunk  from  a  party. ' '  She  hid  her  face 
on  the  shoulder  of  the  man  who  had  also  prayed  and  taught 
the  baby  to  pray  for  her  mother  who  was  sick,  and  ask  God 
to  bring  her  back  to  them. 

Then  the  man  spoke :  "You  see,  dear,  God  uses  different 
ways  to  answer  our  prayers,  but  in  most  cases  he  helps  us 
through  His  children  here  on  earth  by  showing  ns  the  way 
to  help  each  other. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XI 

THEY  COULD  NOT  HEAE  HEE  THOUGHTS 

Christmas  came,  and  we  find  our  wanderers  walking 
down  town.  They  passed  the  church  and  Ronile  was  run- 
ning over  to  greet  the  kindly  priest  who  was  directing 
the  placing  of  the  Christmas  trees  to  be  used  in  decorating 
the  church.  Ronile  wondered  if  the  trees  belonged  to 
him  and  if  he  would  place  some  on  the  altar  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  one  on  the  window  showing  the  Lord  with  a 
lamb  in  His  arms. 

"Oh,  I  hope  you  will  give  one  to  the  little  lamb  for 
it  stands  for  patience,  mother  says,  and  the  pines  too  have 
patience;  they  keep  their  branches  green  and  they  don't 
mind  the  cold  wind  and  snow." 

The  Priest  looked  at  the  mother  admiringly,  and  in  his 
pleasant  Irish  way  commended  her  on  the  nice  way  she 
was  bringing  up  her  child.  "And  all  alone,  ma'am,"  he 
said.  "She  is  a  credit  to  you." 

As  he  spoke  he  reached  over  and  presented  Ronile  with 
a  small  Christmas  tree.  In  her  joy  she  hugged  the  leg 
of  the  laughing  priest,  then  a  sadness  came  over  her  face  as 
she  realized  that  she  could  not  take  the  tree  with  her. 
They  watched  her  bewilderment  for  a  short  time  and  soon 
beheld  her  running  with  the  tree  held  above  her  head 
through  the  snow  to  the  kitchen  door  of  the  parish  house  to 
give  to  Mary,  the  cook,  for  safe-keeping.  In  a  moment,  she 
came  running  back  with  a  cooky  which  she  broke  presenting 
a  piece  to  the  priest  and  one  to  her  mother,  and  as  they 
left  the  good  priest  looked  after  them  mumbling  to  him- 
self, "A  nice  little  girl,  indeed." 

A  new  item  was  on  the  list  of  purchases,  and  while 
Ronile  was  looking  at  picture  books  another  package  was 
added  to  the  lot.  No  flowers  were  made  Christmas  Eve, 
and  soon  Ronile  became  sleepy  and  went  to  bed,  first  giv- 
ing another  look  out  of  the  window  to  see  if  anything  had 
been  put  on  her  Christmas  tree,  which  had  been  sent  to  her 
home  from  the  parish  house.  And  as  she  prayed,  she  asked 


THEY  COULD  NOT  HEAR  HER  THOUGHTS  43 

God  to  send  her  some  little  angels  for  her  tree,  and  if  they 
were  too  busy  to  go  where  her  father  lived  and  bring  her  big 
doll  Goldie,  with  golden  curls,  and  the  little  princess  doll 
if  they  could  carry  them  both.  She  said  she  knew  they 
would  have  no  one  to  put  them  to  bed  and  now  that  they 
had  a  home  of  their  own,  they  could  stay  with  her  all  the 
time.  Then  she  glanced  to  the  window  again  with  a  sigh 
for  her  lost  playmates,  and  then  climbed  into  bed  and 
soon  closed  her  eyes  to  human  sights  to  open  in  a  more 
brilliant  light — Fairyland. 

It  was  getting  late  on  Christmas  Eve,  but  the  Woman 
got  up  and  went  out,  gently  closing  the  door,  and  hurried 
downtown  before  the  stores  were  closed.  She  purchased  a 
small  doll,  and  hurried  back  home,  hugging  the  little 
bundle  as  she  went  along,  the  clear  cold  wind  biting  her 
cheeks,  giving  new  vigor  to  her  body.  When  she  reached 
home  Ronile  was  still  asleep  and  she  went  to  the  task  of 
dressing  the  doll  to  take  the  place  of  the  lost  Princess  and 
decided  to  dress  it  in  pale  blue  satin,  which  she  trimmed 
with  a  silver  lace  and  long  train.  A  Juliet  head-gear  added 
the  finishing  touch  and  there  stood  the  Princess  in  all  her 
glory.  Now  for  Goldie,  she  took  Josephine,  a  doll  given 
Ronile  by  their  good  friend  Josie,  now  living  in  New  York, 
after  whom  Ronile  had  named  the  doll : 

By  this  time  the  steam  in  the  building  had  been  turned 
off,  so  she  lighted  the  gas  stove  oven  to  furnish  heat  while 
she  worked  on  the  doll,  and  thinking  to  economize  on  the 
heat,  she  decided  to  bake  a  cake,  which  was  the  work  of 
only  a  few  minutes,  and  it  would  bake  while  she  finished 
her  work  of  dressing  the  doll.  Soon  the  doll  was  dressed 
even  to  a  knitted  sweater  and  cap  and  all  ready  to  be 
placed  on  the  Christmas  tree,  which  was  soon  trimmed  with 
three  glass  angels,  cotton  and  tinsel,  the  dolls  underneath, 
and  the  cake,  now  baked  and  covered  with  icing  and  nuts. 

The  Woman  then  retired  for  a  few  short  hours  of  re- 
freshing sleep,  a  look  of  satisfaction  on  her  face  knowing  she 
had  done  her  best. 

Bright  and  early  Ronile  awoke  and  her  first  look  was 
for  the  tree,  which  she  beheld  standing  on  the  trunk  in  all 


44  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

its  glory,  and  she  jumped  out  of  bed  and  stood  before  it, 
not  knowing  what  to  touch  first. 

"The  Princess!"  she  cried.  "Oh,  my  dear  little  Prin- 
cess, the  angels  put  a  new  dress  on  you."  Then  she  saw 
Josephine,  and  ran  to  her  mother  who  was  still  asleep, 
crying,  ' '  Look  mama,  mother,  deary,  look !  Josephine  has  a 
new  outfit ;  the  angels  make  the  same  stitch  you  do,  and  they 
used  some  of  the  silver  cloth  you  make  the  caps  of  for  my 
dolly. ' '  Then  she  saw  the  cake  and  wondered  if  the  angels 
had  baked  it,  too,  and  taking  both  dolls  in  her  arms  climbed 
back  into  bed.  They  stayed  in  bed  until  the  steam  was 
turned  on  and  the  house  warm,  and  after  breakfast  went 
to  church. 

Ronile  studied  the  effect  of  the  trees  in  the  church 
first  to  make  sure  that  they  did  not  cover  the  little  lamb,  and 
when  the  priest  was  in  the  pulpit  she  felt  like  running 
up  and  telling  him  of  the  three  glass  angels  and  her  doll, 
the  Princess  and  all.  Her  heart  was  so  full  of  thankfulness 
she  felt  that  one  Our  Father  was  not  enough.  Her  mother 
told  her  that  God  would  hear  her  prayers  of  thankfulness, 
but  she  said,  "The  priest  won't." 

After  the  service  she  ran  to  the  sacristy  and  running 
back  to  take  her  mother's  hand  after  thanking  the  priest 
in  her  own  way,  she  felt  satisfied.  She  felt  that  she  had  to 
tell  "the  man  who  owned  the  house  of  God,"  thinking  the 
Lord  would  not  hear  her  thoughts  as  she  assured  her  mother 
she  herself  could  not  hear  them  no  matter  how  quiet  she  was 
and  how  much  she  listened  for  her  own  thoughts ;  there  was 
not  a  whisper,  she  said. 

' '  Well,  my  dear,  some  day  you  will  hear  your  thoughts, 
and  I  am  glad  you  snowed  your  gratitude  to  the  good  priest 
as  well  as  by  thanking  God  in  your  thoughts." 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  LITTLE  DUTCH  PARTY 

It  was  February  15th  and  Ronile  's  birthday.  The  first 
thing  in  the  morning  the  mother  kissed  her  tenderly,  wishing 
her  a  happy  birthday,  and  handing  her  a  complete  pencil 
box,  which  she  had  hidden  from  Ronile  by  holding  it  behind 
her. 

At  lunch  time  Ronile 's  dress  was  changed  to  a  lace  and 
net  frock,  with  a  blue  China  silk  slip  underneath  it.  It 
was  the  mother's  custom  to  give  Ronile  a  fancy  dress  on 
every  birthday,  thus  keeping  her  supplied  with  a  good 
dress  all  the  year.  With  a  promise  to  keep  the  dress  clean, 
Ronile  walked  hurriedly  to  school,  sometimes  running  and 
then  falling  again  into  a  walk  step.  Her  mother  had 
cautioned  her  about  running,  fearing  that  she  would  fall 
and  soil  the  dress. 

It  was  agreed  among  the  mothers  of  several  of  the 
children  to  give  Ronile  a  birthday  party  and  surprise  the 
kiddies.  They  had  arranged  for  eight  couples,  eight  girls 
and  eight  boys.  The  table  decorations  were  blue  and 
white,  Ronile 's  favorite  colors.  As  the  day  before  had  been 
Valentine  Day  they  cut  red  crepe  paper  in  the  form  of 
angels  and  strung  them  from  one  side  of  the  room  to  the 
other  and  across  the  chandelier.  The  angels  swayed  about 
and  looked  as  if  they  were  flying  around  the  room.  The 
place  cards  were  valentines,  representing  boys  and  girls 
holding  bouquets  of  flowers,  and  standing  at  each  plate 
as  if  waiting  to  join  the  little  guests  in  their  happy  party. 
The  cakes  and  cookies  were  made  in  the  shape  of  hearts. 
Mrs.  Wilton,  the  mother  of  one  of  the  little  girls,  sent  the  ice 
cream,  another  brought  some  cake.  The  lunch  consisted 
of  chicken  patties,  hot  chocolate,  ice  cream  and  cake.  Each 
of  the  children  brought  a  small  cup  and  saucer,  and  Ronile 
had  fancy  baskets  filled  with  candy  for  the  girls,  and  balls 
for  the  boys.  It  is  fitting  to  remark  here  that  up  to  this 
time,  1920,  Ronile  has  traveled  twenty-five  thousand  miles 
and  that  she  still  has  the  little  cups  and  saucers  and  carries 
with  her  as  well  the  memory  of  her  dear  little  friends  who 
helped  to  make  her  birthday  party  a  pleasant  remembrance. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  DIVORCE;   THEN  TO  THE  GOLDEN  WEST 
AND  NEW  FEIENDS 

One  day  the  "Woman  met  Judge  Jarvis  and  after  in- 
quiring how  she  was  getting  along,  he  asked  her  how  long 
she  had  been  living  in  Eeno.  She  informed  him  that  they 
had  been  there  eight  months  and  he  asked  her  if  she  had 
applied  for  a  divorce,  to  which  she  replied  that  they  had 
been  so  happy  she  had  not  thought  about  a  divorce. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "I  have  a  letter  from  your  lawyer. 
You  must  have  mentioned  my  name  to  him  as  he  asks  me 
to  inform  him  of  your  whereabouts  as  he  had  heard  that 
your  husband  was  coming  West.  He  also  sent  me  the 
papers  in  your  case  and  asked  me  to  take  it  up. ' ' 

The  woman  became  frightened  as  she  had  not  given 
much  thought  of  late  to  the  danger  of  her  husband  finding 
her  and  taking  Ronile,  and  asked  the  judge  to  hurry  and 
file  the  papers. 

The  judge  then  informed  her  that  the  lawyer  in  the 
East  had  told  the  husband  that  his  wife  could  not  be  found, 
but  had  promised  in  a  friendly  way  to  try  and  get  in  touch 
with  them. 

The  papers  were  served  on  the  husband  but  he  refused 
to  sign  any  agreement  giving  the  wife  the  sole  custody  of  the 
child. 

The  lawyer  told  him  the  wife  had  a  right  to  the  custody 
of  the  little  girl  as  she  was  supporting  her  without  any 
help  from  him.  The  husband  sat  chewing  the  end  of  his 
cigar  and  spoke  of  going  West  to  contest  the  ease. 

' '  All  right, ' '  said  the  lawyer, ' '  but  be  sure  that  you  take 
from  five  to  eight  thousand  dollars  with  you  for  there  is 
your  family  and  they  have  not  had  any  support  from  you 
for  a  long  time.  The  law  will  hold  you  responsible  for  all 
unpaid  bills,  besides  court  costs  and  lawyer 's  fees. ' ' 

The  lawyer  who  served  the  papers  was  a  friend  of 
both  the  husband  and  wife,  and  advised  the  husband  to 
sign  the  paper,  but  with  an  insulting  remark,  he  asked  the 
lawyer  what  he  had  to  do  with  the  affair,  how  he  knew 


THE  DIVORCE  47 

so  much  of  the  wife's  business  and  if  he  was  footing  the 
bills.  The  case  was  delayed  forty  days  waiting  for  the 
husband  to  contest  it  but  he  did  not  appear.  The  lawyer 
said  he  hoped  he  would  never  again  have  a  mission  of  the 
kind  to  perform  for  a  friend. 

The  Woman  suffered  much  anxiety  during  the  forty 
days'  delay  waiting  for  her  case  to  come  up,  fearing  at 
every  step  she  took  to  see  the  brutal  face  of  her  husband. 
She  spent  her  spare  time  visiting  the  sick  at  the  hospital, 
taking  some  flowers  to  a  poor  patient.  A  nurse  led  her  to 
the  room  of  a  woman  who  had  only  a  short  time  before 
come  out  of  the  operating  room.  They  left  the  flowers 
there,  promising  to  call  again  the  next  day,  which  they 
did.  The  patient  was  an  eastern  woman  and  she  told  them 
of  her  misfortune.  She  was  ill,  with  no  money  and  no 
home.  The  Woman's  heart  went  out  to  her  and  she  prom- 
ised to  take  her  when  she  was  well  enough  to  leave  the  hos- 
pital. In  the  meantime,  Ronile  was  sick  with  the  measles 
and  the  doctor's  bill  and  the  cost  of  her  divorce  proceedings 
soon  exhausted  her  savings.  She  left  Ronile  with  the  land- 
lady the  day  her  fight  for  freedom  came  up.  It  was  a 
short  case  requiring  only  a  few  minutes,  as  the  judge 
knew  her  to  be  a  permanent  resident  and  striving  for  an 
honest  living.  She  asked  permission  to  assume  her  maiden 
name,  which  was  granted.  The  judge  congratulated  her, 
saying  she  was  a  good  example  for  the  colony,  and  wished 
her  better  luck  next  time. 

As  she  left  the  court  house,  she  removed  the  gold  wed- 
ding band  from  her  finger  and  a  sigh  escaped  her  lips  as 
she  placed  the  ring  in  her  purse,  her  memory  reverting 
back  to  that  day  when  she  felt  that  life  held  nothing  but 
happiness  for  her. 

When  Ronile  recovered  from  the  attack  of  measles, 
the  doctor  advised  a  change  of  climate,  and  they  decided  to 
go  to  San  Francisco.  The  Woman  thought  that  she  could 
handle  the  silk  flowers  through  the  stores  there  to  good 
advantage,  and  could  be  at  home  a  good  part  of  the  time. 

Ten  months  had  passed,  when  they  again  stood  on  the 
platform  of  the  Reno  station,  though  this  time  not  alone. 
Many  friends  had  come  to  bid  them  good-by.  Among 


48  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

them  there  was  a  young  druggist  who  insisted  that  the 
Woman  marry  him  and  that  they  would  start  life  anew. 
The  Woman  rejected  the  offer,  saying  that  she  had  been  free 
only  a  short  time  and  would  have  to  find  herself.  He  made 
her  promise  to  write,  and  after  a  short  time  he  left  Reno 
for  China.  Ronile  enjoyed  the  ride  in  the  train  more  this 
time.  The  snow  was  still  heavy  above  Truckee  and  the 
Sierra  Mountains  were  covered  with  snow-sheds,  and  there 
was  Donner  Lake,  named  after  the  Donner  family  who 
had  perished  like  so  many  of  the  early  pioneers. 

It  seemed  only  a  short  distance  when  they  found  them- 
selves in  a  warm  climate.  The  orange  trees  were  in  full 
bloom  and  fruit  and  flowers  abounded  on  all  sides — such 
a  wealth  of  hills  and  mountains  and  clear  blue  sky.  Little 
did  they  care  where  they  would  land,  so  long  as  the  sky 
was  blue  and  the  trees  in  bloom.  God  was  everywhere 
and  they  trusted  to  His  love,  their  hearts  filled  with  glad- 
ness, as  they  fell  asleep,  rocking  along  the  mountain  pass 
to  a  new  and  brighter  life. 

The  clock  on  the  Ferry  Building  indicated  eight  as  the 
boat  from  Oakland  began  to  unload  its  passengers.  They 
stood  on  the  street  wondering  where  to  go  to  find  a  desirable 
place  to  stop.  A  bus  from  the  Hotel  Alten  drew  up,  and 
not  having  any  place  in  view  they  got  in  the  bus  and  soon 
found  themselves  registered  in  this  hotel  on  East  Third 
Street,  paying  five  dollars  a  week  for  their  room.  The 
Woman  set  to  work  at  once  buying  new  material  and  mak- 
ing up  some  samples  of  the  ribbon  flowers,  which  she  took  to 
the  stores  and  soon  received  many  orders.  Thus  the  little 
ribbon  flowers  were  soon  to  be  found  on  the  counters  and 
pinned  to  the  coats  and  dresses  of  many  girls  and  women. 

A  buyer  in  one  of  the  stores,  noticing  the  address  of  the 
Woman,  told  her  that  it  was  not  a  good  neighborhood  and 
advised  her  to  move  to  the  Regis,  which  she  did. 

Soon  after  their  arrival  in  San  Francisco,  the  Woman 
wrote  to  their  friend  Hannah  in  Reno  and  told  her  she 
hoped  soon  to  be  able  to  send  her  money  enough  to  come 
to  her,  as  she  was  sure  there  was  work  for  her  there,  and 
the  first  check  she  received  went  back  to  Reno  to  bring 
Hannah  to  them.  On  her  arrival  a  cot  was  placed  in  their 


THE  DIVORCE  49 

room  for  her,  and  they  were  happy  in  the  thought  of 
helping  each  other. 

The  Woman  had  originated  the  fancy  evening  caps  and 
had  a  suit  case  filled  with  sample  flowers  and  caps  ready 
to  show  to  a  lady  whose  address  she  received  from  a  store, 
the  lady  wishing  a  cap  to  match  a  certain  gown.  But  in 
some  way  there  was  a  mistake  in  the  address,  and  she  did 
not  find  the  lady.  She  inquired  at  the  next  house  and  an 
old  gentleman  answered  the  call.  On  seeing  her  disappoint- 
ment he  asked  her  if  he  could  serve  her  in  any  way.  She 
showed  him  the  suit-case  of  flowers,  and  he  started  back  at 
the  sight  of  their  beauty  and  on  touching  them  was  much 
surprised  to  find  that  they  were  made  of  silk. 

"You  make  them?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  I  do,"  replied  the  Woman. 

' '  Where  do  you  live  ? "  he  kept  on.    ' '  Are  you  alone  ? ' ' 

' '  No, ' '  she  told  him,  ' '  I  have  a  daughter  and  a  friend. ' ' 

He  said  he  was  interested  in  such  an  interesting  per- 
son and  wanted  to  know  her  name,  which  she  told  him. 
At  six  o'clock  the  phone  rang,  and  she  was  told  that  there 
was  a  gentleman  who  wished  to  see  Mrs.  Delien.  A  few 
minutes  later  he  stood  at  their  door,  seeming  to  drink  in 
a  picture  that  he  did  not  see  every  day.  By  the  window  in 
the  rocking  chair  sat  Hannah,  and  on  the  trunk  Ronile 
with  a  book  in  her  hand.  The  stranger  walked  over  toward 
her,  and  she  jumped  down,  taking  his  extended  hand  and 
making  a  curtsey  worthy  of  the  dames  of  old.  He  picked 
her  up  and  kissed  her  on  the  forehead  and  called  her  "Little 
Princess. ' ' 

"Oh,  no,"  she  said,  "the  Princess  is  in  the  trunk, 
with  silver  lace  on  her  dress."  As  she  rubbed  her  fore- 
head where  he  had  kissed  her,  he  said,  "Now  you  are  wiping 
off  the  kiss  I  gave  you." 

"No,  I  just  wiped  off.  the  tickle  your  whiskers  made," 
which  made  all  three  laugh  and  seem  like  old  friends. 

He  told  Mrs.  Delien  that  he  was  alone  and  desired 
very  much  to  have  them  join  him  at  dinner.  Looking  at 
Hannah,  who  seemed  willing,  the  Woman  accepted  the  in- 
vitation and  all  went  to  a  prominent  place  to  dine.  During 
the  dinner,  the  gentleman  ventured  to  suggest  that  their 


50  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

quarters  were  too  small  for  three  to  live  in ;  that  Hannah 
needed  a  separate  room,  inasmuch  as  she  was  convalescing 
from  a  recent  illness.  Taking  out  his  card  he  wrote  an 
address  on  it,  advising  the  Woman  to  inquire  there  for 
an  apartment  saying  he  was  sure  she  would  get  one  that 
would  be  more  suitable  for  them.  The  next  day  they  went 
and  found  a  large  apartment  house.  Japanese  porters 
were  busy  about  the  halls  and  the  rooms  were  clean  and 
inviting.  The  superintendent  was  very  obliging  and  showed 
them  a  four-room  apartment,  beautifully  furnished.  The 
rent  was  reasonable  and  they  took  it,  happy  to  be  able  to 
cook  and  keep  house.  Hannah  had  a  relapse  and  the 
Woman  took  her  to  the  German  Hospital  for  another  op- 
eration. Business  was  good,  but  as  her  expenses  were 
quite  heavy  it  kept  her  busy  making  ends  meet.  The  oper- 
ation cost  her  two  hundred  dollars  and  she  paid  seventeen 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  week  for  the  room  at  the  hospital 
for  Hannah.  This  was  an  expense  she  was  not  prepared 
to  meet.  Mr.  Bartells,  the  gentleman  who  had  advised 
them  to  move  into  the  larger  apartment  house,  wanted  to 
assist  her  but  she  declined,  thinking  if  he  wanted  to  help 
the  girl  he  could  have  gone  to  the  hospital  and  paid  her 
bill  there.  He  wanted  to  take  the  Woman  to  his  ranch, 
which  offer  she  refused.  She  felt  that  if  his  intentions 
were  right  in  wanting  to  help  her  he  could  show  his  kind- 
ness by  helping  Hannah,  and  the  next  time  he  made  an 
offer  of  assistance  she  told  him  to  "help  the  helpless." 

He  replied  that  the  girl  was  an  adventuress.  "Be  on 
your  guard.  Hannah  plays  on  your  sympathies,  and  I 
warn  you  against  her.  Human  nature  is  an  open  book  to 
me,  I  know  them  when  I  see  them,"  he  assured  her. 

The  Woman  thought  only  of  the  sick,  helpless  girl,  and 
thought  by  sowing  seeds  of  kindness  they  could  not  help 
but  thrive,  so  she  let  him  talk  and  did  what  she  thought 
was  right  and  human.  After  three  weeks  Hannah  was 
back  with  a  good  chance  of  regaining  her  health. 

The  old  friend  expressed  a  wish  one  evening  to  play 
cards,  but  the  Woman  replied  that  she  knew  absolutely 
nothing  about  cards,  and  he  offered  to  teach  her.  Hannah 
could  play  and  was  happy  to  get  the  opportunity.  How 


THE  DIVORCE  51 

it  amused  our  hero  to  see  Mrs.  Delien  try  to  shuffle  the 
cards,  spilling  them  all  over  until  he  would  take  them  and 
cleverly  deal  them  for  her. 

On  one  occasion  he  suggested  a  dinner  at  home,  saying 
he  would  supply  a  chicken  from  his  ranch.  Hannah  was  a 
good  cook.  In  fact  she  made  her  living  cooking  before  she 
became  ill,  and  she  was  anxious  to  show  her  skill. 

It  was  Wednesday  evening  when  they  had  the  dinner. 
While  Hannah  washed  the  dishes  the  Woman  put  Ronile  to 
bed,  the  guest  amusing  himself  by  walking  about  the  rooms 
— from  dining  room  to  living  room.  He  passed  the  bed- 
room door  and  saw  Ronile  saying  her  prayers  as  she  knelt 
by  the  bed.  He  walked  into  the  room  and  picking  her  up 
said,  "It  is  not  necessary  for  you  to  tire  your  dear  little 
knees  for  something  that  doesn't  exist;  go  to  sleep  and 
think  of  your  Foxy  Grandpa,"  as  she  called  him. 

The  Woman  stood  aghast,  hardly  able  to  speak,  but 
quickly  composed  herself  and  ignoring  the  man,  bent  over 
the  child  and  went  over  with  her  the  prayer  she  had  been 
saying.  He  left  the  room  stroking  his  beard,  and  when 
the  Woman  came  into  the  dining  room  he  was  sitting  at 
the  table  dealing  the  cards.  He  tried  to  say  something  but 
the  look  the  Woman  gave  him  made  him  realize  that  he 
was  outside  of  that  sacred  gate  of  faith  and  argument  was 
not  the  password  to  enter  there. 

There  was  some  coolness  between  them  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  evening.  They  were  playing  cards  and  he 
tried  to  touch  her  hand  but  she  pulled  back  as  if  a  viper  had 
stung  her.  On  leaving,  he  asked  if  he  might  come  to  dinner 
on  the  following  Wednesday,  which  she  granted.  The 
following  Saturday  they  went  to  the  beach,  thinking  the 
ocean  breeze  would  be  invigorating  for  Hannah.  They 
climbed  the  hill  at  the  Cliff  House  and  made  themselves 
comfortable,  eating  their  lunch  under  the  trees  with  much 
relish.  It  did  not  take  Ronile  long  to  make  friends;  she 
found  them  everywhere ;  was  never  lonely ;  a  flower  would 
amuse  her  for  hours  and  seldom  did  she  ever  come  home 
without  a  bunch  of  some  kind  of  flowers,  given  her  by  some- 
one. 

In  searching  the  hill  now  for  flowers,  she  came  to  a 


52  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

woman  knitting  and  asked  her  if  she  wanted  the  flowers  she 
had  already  picked.  The  lady  told  her  she  did  not  want 
to  rob  her  of  the  lovely  bunch.  Ronile  pulled  out  the 
nicest  ones  and  handed  them  to  the  stranger. 

"Oh,"  said  the  lady,  "you  have  given  me  the  best 
ones." 

"Well,"  said  the  child,  "one  time  in  Reno,  there  was 
a  little  boy  I  used  to  play  with  who  moved  away,  and  he 
asked  his  mother  if  he  could  give  me  something,  and  she 
said  he  could,  so  he  gave  me  his  ball,  because  he  loved  it, 
he  said;  so  you  see  if  I  love  these  the  best,  you  will  love 
them,  too.  I  never  look  at  the  ball  without  thinking  of 
little  Bobby  and  I  love  him,  too." 

Hannah  by  this  time  had  come  to  take  the  little  chat- 
terbox back  to  her  mother.  The  lady  said  she  did  not  mind 
her  a  bit,  and  thought  she  was  a  very  clever  little  tot.  Then 
Hannah  told  the  lady  some  of  Ronile 's  original  remarks. 
They  brought  the  stranger  back  to  meet  the  mother  of  the 
wonderful  child.  The  lady  sat  with  them  talking  and  knit- 
ting away,  the  needles  keeping  time  harmoniously.  The  lady 
remarked  about  the  Woman 's  perfect  form.  She  told  them 
she  was  a  masseuse,  and  looking  at  Hannah's  strong  hands 
and  round  finger  tips,  said  that  Hannah  had  missed  her 
real  profession. 

"Why,  you  were  born  to  massage,"  she  said.  Hannah 
looked  at  her  friend  in  an  interested  way,  thinking  that 
this  was  an  opportunity  to  learn  a  new  occupation.  They 
asked  the  lady  if  she  taught  massage,  and  she  agreed  to 
teach  Hannah  the  business  on  terms  which  were  satisfac- 
tory to  Mrs.  Delien  who  offered  to  loan  Hannah  the 
money,  thinking  if  Hannah  earned  as  much  as  the  lady 
assured  her  she  could,  she  would  soon  pay  back  the 
money  advanced. 

At  the  next  dinner  party,  to  which  Mr.  Bartells  had 
been  invited,  the  Woman  told  him  of  the  wonderful  oppor- 
tunity which  had  been  presented  to  Hannah  to  learn  a 
good  paying  profession.  He  did  not  seem  much  enthused 
over  the  prospect  of  the  Woman  advancing  money  to 
Hannah,  and  after  sending  her  on  an  errand,  he  stood 
before  the  Woman  with  a  deep  frown  on  his  brow. 


THE  DIVORCE  53 

"My  dear  little  friend,"  he  said,  "you  are  not  safe 
here  alone ;  your  spirit  is  willing  but  the  flesh  is  weak,  and 
you  will  break  down  under  the  strain."  He  told  her  how 
he  had  traced  Hannah's  past  as  far  back  as  he  could  and 
that  her  last  employer  had  discharged  her  on  account  of  a 
courtship  with  a  Mexican  tamale  peddler.  He  showed  the 
Woman  why  Hannah  had  no  trunk  or  wearing  apparel, 
while  she  had  garments  for  all  occasions. 

"She  is  imposing  upon  you,  madam,  and  I  want  to 
spare  you  a  sad  awakening,"  and  with  trembling  voice  he 
said,  "Why,  I  love  you,  and  have  loved  you  ever  since  I 
met  you.  Life  seems  perfect  when  I  am  with  you.  Send 
this  person  away ;  she  is  not  your  equal,  and  should  not  be 
classed  as  a  friend.  She  is  so  uncouth  that  people  will 
misjudge  you,  saying  that  birds  of  a  feather  flock  together. 
I  would  show  you  real  people,  society ;  I  have  the  password 
to  all.  You  love  beautiful  things;  let  me  take  you  to  my 
castle  and  give  me  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  admire  my 
treasures. ' ' 

The  Woman  listened  attentively,  carefully  studying 
the  step  at  this  turn  of  the  road,  and  asked  him  to  give  her 
time  to  think  before  answering  him.  He  gladly  agreed  to 
this,  and  left  with  a  triumphant  look  on  his  face. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

AT    THE    CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH    OR    FAITH 

In  thought  the  Woman  stood  at  the  cross-roads,  one 
leading  to  a  broad,  well  kept  avenue,  too  broad  and  too  long 
for  weary  feet  to  travel;  its  travelers  sat  languishing  in 
limousines,  with  etiquette  their  critic,  which  sometimes 
seemed  to  lash  them  unmercifully.  They  did  not  seem 
to  be  free  to  act  as  they  wished,  lest  the  fast  traveling 
tongue  of  slander  might  reach  them  through  the  lorgnettes 
and  monocles  of  others  as  unhappy  as  themselves.  She 
could  see  the  tired  faces  smiling  sweetly  through  the  mask, 
inwardly  harboring  a  volcano  of  desires  and  unsatisfied 
ambitions.  One  woman  was  weeping  as  she  gazed  at  an 
emerald  ring,  and  wished  it  were  a  ruby  like  that  worn  by 
a  friend  at  a  tea  party.  Another  head  was  bent  low  with 
sharp  pains  at  the  temple,  caused  by  wearing  a  heavy 
crown.  Thousands  pass  the  road  of  idleness  leading  to 
despair,  leaving  their  children  to  servants,  with  a  cold  kiss 
and  meaningless  pet  name ;  always  thinking  of  more  capital ; 
tightening  the  grip ;  holding  the  lower  classes  of  mankind 
in  the  valley  of  H.  C.  L. 

She  smiled  sadly  as  she  thought  how  the  servants  in 
her  own  home  would  call  Ronile  a  gracious  little  lady,  or 
' '  as  you  please,  miss, ' '  and  then  how  a  short  time  ago  they 
refused  her  work  and  a  home  for  that  same  child.  She 
choked  down  a  lump  of  bitterness  that  had  arisen  in  her 
throat  and  resolved  not  to  give  up  her  freedom  for  admis- 
sion to  such  a  road.  But  to  give  up  one  she  must  travel  the 
other,  a  narrow  lane  full  of  briars  and  thorns,  but  some- 
times a  shady  place  to  rest  and  a  cooling  drink  and  there 
were  many  fragrant  flowers  they  could  pick  with  dewdrops 
in  their  tiny  cups — "tears  from  aching  hearts."  There 
were  long  stretches  of  barren  land,  such  as  they  had  passed. 
Her  eyes  lifted  up  to  God  for  help,  and  as  she  gazed  into 
that  long  stretch  filled  with  innumerable  stars  shining  in 
all  their  soothing  brilliance,  her  thoughts  wandered  back 
to  faith — if  he  would  believe  as  she  and  Ronile  believed,  the 
bargain  would  be  made. 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH   55 

When  Hannah  returned  the  Woman  told  her  of  Mr. 
Bartells'  desire  to  become  a  member  of  the  family.  Han- 
nah tightened  her  lips,  an  ugly  look  coming  into  her  eyes, 
showing  more  clearly  than  words  the  feeling  of  jealousy 
which  enveloped  her. 

"So,"  she  said,  "that  is  why  he  sent  me  out,  to  get 
me  out  of  the  way."  But  the  Woman  stopped  her,  saying 
it  was  a  very  serious  matter  with  her ;  then  dancing  around 
the  room  Hannah  said:  "Yes,  why  don't  you  marry  him? 
Then  he  can  start  me  in  a  beauty  parlor  and  sanitarium," 
thinking  only  of  what  she  could  get  out  of  him,  not  of  the 
Woman's  sacrifice. 

Slowly  Mrs.  Delien  realized  that  all  is  not  charity, 
though  given  in  true  faith  and  agreed  that  Mr.  Bartells 
was  right  in  his  opinion  of  Hannah.  As  an  outsider  he 
could  see  through  her  actions.  She  turned  to  Hannah 
saying :  "Why  don't  you  try  to  interest  the  man  in  taking 
you  ?  As  far  as  I  am  concerned  you  can  have  him  with  all 
his  wealth." 

At  Mr.  Bartells'  next  visit  they  resumed  the  card 
playing,  and  Mrs.  Delien  made  slow  progress  at  learning. 
The  guest  showed  no  impatience,  but  seemed  to  take  pleas- 
ure in  touching  her  hand  in  explaining  the  game.  Hannah 
thought,  "Now  is  my  chance  to  let  him  know  his  attentions 
are  welcome  to  me,"  so  she  slyly  touched  his  foot,  but  he 
thinking  it  an  accident  paid  no  attention  to  her.  She 
tried  again,  slightly  tapping  her  foot  on  his.  He  looked 
around  wondering  whose  foot  was  running  astray,  half 
wishing  it  to  be  an  answer  from  the  Woman.  Looking  at 
her  he  saw  only  a  far-away  look,  half-appealing,  half- 
worried  and  he  knew  that  the  signal  was  not  from  her. 

He  laid  down  the  cards  and  looked  squarely  at  Han- 
nah, saying,  "Why  do  you  let  yourself  fly  apart?"  and 
pointing  to  his  head  with  an  amused  expression  and  rais- 
ing his  eyebrows  said:  "Something  loose,  eh,  Hannah, 
poor  girl?  Keep  your  mechanism  together  and  don't  let 
your  feet  run  away  from  you. ' ' 

The  Woman  joined  in  the  laugh  on  Hannah,  who,  at 
the  remark,  sat  biting  her  lips,  too  surprised  to  speak. 

On  departing  Mr.  Bartells  begged  the  Woman  to  re- 


56  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

ceive  him  the  next  day,  and  to  be  sure  that  she  gave  him  a 
satisfactory  answer,  touching  his  pocket  to  remind  her  of  his 
wealth — that  wealth  is  might  and  might  is  power  to  sur- 
mount all  obstacles  they  might  encounter. 

Before  the  Woman  retired  she  opened  all  the  windows 
to  clear  the  room  of  the  foul  air  and  finding  herself  alone 
for  a  little  while,  she  knelt  on  the  floor  by  the  window,  rest- 
ing her  arms  on  the  sill.  Looking  up  to  the  sky,  only  an 
occasional  star  was  visible,  as  a  fog  was  creeping  along  in 
the  air.  Fervently  she  prayed  to  the  Almighty  Judge  and 
Adviser,  asking  for  enlightenment,  for  guidance  to  know 
the  right  road.  She  called  to  her  sacred  visitor  who  came 
to  her  so  often,  and  as  she  knelt,  sobbing  out  the  prayer, 
"Hail,  Holy  Queen,  Mother  of  Mercy,"  a  star  approached 
showing  a  divine  face,  then  disappeared.  The  next  day 
a  box  of  flowers  came  which  she  held  to  her  bosom,  sobbing 
into  them,  pitying  their  mission,  to  be  the  forebearer  of 
good  or  evil.  She  kissed  them  tenderly,  assuring  them  that 
they  could  not  make  her  sell  herself. 

When  Mr.  Bartells  arrived,  she  greeted  him  in  a  sincere, 
composed  way,  and  as  he  extended  his  hand  he  came  near 
her  as  if  to  kiss  her,  but  she  moved  back  slowly  and  he  made 
no  further  advances.  After  seating  himself  comfortably 
and  asking  permission  to  smoke,  which  was  granted,  he 
took  a  few  puffs  at  his  cigar  and  looking  toward  the  Woman 
in  an  admiring  glance,  simply  asked,  "Well?"  There 
was  a  long  pause,  during  which  he  puffed  on  his  cigar,  and 
then  smiled  somewhat  pertly  as  he  asked,  "Is  it  so  hard 
to  throw  yourself  into  the  arms  of  a  man  who  loves  you  and 
wants  to  shield  you  from  harm?  You  will  be  a  lady;  no 
more  twisting  your  poor  little  hands  on  those  flowers." 

"Oh,"  she  said,  "the  flowers  made  me  an  artist." 

' '  What  of  that  ?    Art  keeps  you  starving ! ' ' 

"Well,"  she  said,  "we  have  never  begged  yet,  and 
we  three  live  on  them." 

"We'll  forget  the  flowers." 

"No,"  said  the  Woman,  thinking  now  was  her  chance 
to  tell  him  how  she  learned  to  make  them,  if  he  was  sincere, 
which  he  seemed  to  be,  but  she  could  not  go  far  with  senti- 


"  'Tis  the  good  ship  Salvation  that  cuts  thru  the  waves 
To  rescue  the  souls  from  their  watery  graves." 

—Page  4. 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH    57 

mental  stuff,  as  he  called  it.  He  got  up  and  walked  around 
the  room  in  a  domineering  way,  the  woman  thought. 

"Remember,"  he  said,  trying  to  control  his  agitation, 
"I  am  a  business  man;  a  very  positive  nature,  I  assure 
you." 

"I  realize  that,"  the  Woman  replied,  agreeing  that 
she  too  was  not  negative  when  it  came  to  one's  choice  of 
happiness.  She  was  so  far  above  him  in  faith  that  she  could 
find  no  linking  current  of  spiritual  atmosphere  to  connect 
with  the  material  planet  in  which  he  lived,  so  she  gave  up 
the  idea  of  showing  him  the  chamber  of  her  soul 's  refuge. 

Seeing  he  could  not  use  force  with  her,  he  spoke  of 
Ronile,  how  very  necessary  it  was  that  she  should  have  a 
good  education.  "Money  is  the  key  which  opens  the  gate  to 
the  palace  of  education." 

"But,"  said  the  Woman,  "you  agreed  that  Ronile  was 
exceptionally  refined,  without  big  resources  to  draw  from 
for  her  education.  So  far  I  have  not  received  much  en- 
couragement from  the  educated  people. ' ' 

' '  I  see  you  don 't  like  society ;  then  why  not  put  Ronile 
in  a  first-class  boarding  school,  and  I  will  take  you  travel- 
ing ;  on  a  trip  around  the  world, ' '  describing  a  circle  with 
his  arm. 

"Have  you  never  been  abroad?"  asked  the  Woman. 

"No,"  he  replied,  "I  first  had  to  make  money,  loads 
and  loads  of  it,  and  now  I  wish  to  do  something  with  it," 
looking  at  her  with  a  slight  bow. 

"Well,"  said  the  Woman,  "I  have  been  around  the 
world,  and  the  only  reason  I  would  wish  to  do  it  again 
would  be  to  take  Ronile." 

He  pulled  his  hand  out  of  his  pocket,  and  with  a  ges- 
ture as  if  to  shake  off  something  unpleasant,  he  reminded 
her  again  of  her  position  with  a  small  income.  There  was 
a  look  almost  of  pity  as  she  gazed  at  him  and  asked  him 
how  he  could  give  her  the  love  that  Ronile  gave. 

"You  are  even  now  impatient  because  I  do  not  see 
things  your  way.  We  have  seen  poverty,  so  great,  that  our 
hearts  ache  to  think  of  it  now,  but  we  found  an  inner  con- 
science, even  forgetting  our  own  suffering  to  help  others, 
learning  the  power  of  mind  over  matter,  and  not  domineer- 


58  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

ing  over  those  even  less  fortunate  than  ourselves.  We 
learned  to  respect  the  law  in  all  stages,  and  the  law  I  am 
now  respecting  is  the  law  of  difference  in  ages.  You  try 
to  reach  back  thirty  years  for  a  life  partner.  How  can 
you  bridge  a  thirty-year  channel?  You  judge  from  the 
standpoint  of  a  sixty-year-old  man ;  I  from  a  thirty-year-old 
woman.  If  I  follow  the  glitter  of  your  gold,  I  am  blinded 
and  to  be  blind  means  darkness."  She  looked  him  full  in 
the  face. 

How  he  admired  her  as  she  fought,  thinking  she  had 
the  spirit  of  a  tigress.  ' '  But,  I  '11  break  it  when  I  get  you. ' ' 

Her  tongue  was  loose,  speech  came  easily,  and  when  he 
asserted  that  she  had  nothing  to  consider,  she  answered 
sharply,  "Thirty  years  of  my  life."  She  walked  toward 
the  writing  desk,  on  which  lay  some  of  the  roses,  her 
roses,  and  holding  one  up  she  said,  "Perhaps  in  thirty 
years  I  will  have  as  much  as  you.  They  took  me  out  of 
misery  once ;  they  will  lead  me  on. ' ' 

He  took  his  hat  and  left  with  a  short  good-by,  saying, 
"I  always  get  what  I  want  and  I  don't  stop  until  I  get  it." 

The  next  morning  Hannah  was  doing  the  marketing, 
and  he  took  this  opportunity  to  come  before  Ronile  went 
to  school.  Mrs.  Delien  went  to  answer  a  knock  at  the  door, 
thinking  Hannah  had  returned,  but  the  sound  of  someone 
clearing  his  throat  reached  her  ears  and  she  ran  back,  tell- 
ing Ronile  that  Mr.  Bartells  was  at  the  door  and  to  tell 
him  mother  could  not  see  him.  But  he  was  not  so  easily 
repressed,  and  thinking  that  he  was  unwelcome  at  such  an 
early  hour,  he  told  Ronile  to  tell  her  mother  he  wanted  to 
see  her  on  important  business.  The  mother  sent  Ronile 
back  to  the  door  to  tell  him  she  was  not  receiving  visitors 
in  negligee. 

He  assured  Ronile  that  he  liked  to  see  ladies  in  flimsy 
attire,  and  hearing  this  remark  Mrs.  Delien  took  it  as  a 
personal  insult.  She  went  to  the  phone  and  summoned  the 
superintendent  of  the  building,  and  in  a  loud  voice  asked 
him  to  come  up  as  soon  as  possible.  On  hearing  this,  the 
indiscreet  caller  fled,  and  was  out  of  sight  before  the 
superintendent,  who  was  rapidly  approaching,  could  reach 
their  door.  He  rang  the  bell  and  asked  politely  what  he 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH    59 

could  do  for  her.  In  a  trembling  voice,  she  told  him  that 
if  Mr.  Bartells  called  again  not  to  let  him  up  as  she  did 
not  want  to  be  bothered  with  him  any  more. 

"Oh,"  wailed  the  man,  "he  is  our  boss,  and  we 
wondered  why  he  had  been  so  nice  to  us  lately ;  we  thought 
surely  you  would  belong  here, ' '  looking  around  with  a  lost 
expression,  and  shaking  his  head.  "Now  he  won't  buy  us 
that  vacuum  cleaner  we  need  so  badly.  It  will  be  hard  for 
me  to  tell  the  owner  of  the  building  to  mind  his  own  busi- 
ness; I  surely  will  lose  my  job." 

The  Woman  thanked  him  and  said  she  would  move 
as  soon  as  she  could  get  ready.  When  Hannah  came  home 
she  told  her  of  the  event  and  that  they  would  have  to 
move  as  soon  as  possible  if  they  wanted  to  live  in  peace. 
Hannah  was  pleased,  as  a  change  was  always  welcome  to 
her  adventurous  nature  and  besides  the  old  fellow  had 
never  been  much  in  her  favor.  She  told  the  Woman  she 
did  right  in  refusing  to  spend  the  rest  of  her  life  feeding 
bread  and  milk  to  an  old  man. 

However,  Mrs.  Delien's  suspicions  became  aroused,  and 
thinking  she  had  done  her  duty  in  helping  Hannah  thus 
far,  she  told  her  that  she  would  have  to  shift  for  herself, 
saying  that  the  season  was  slack  in  her  business  and  that 
she  could  do  better  in  the  east ;  that  she  would  go  back  as 
far  as  Chicago  and  try  to  get  the  flowers  in  the  big  stores. 
Hannah  stood  awhile  in  pensive  thought,  with  a  deter- 
mined look  on  her  broad  face.  She  was  not  willing  to  give 
up  her  ' '  meal  ticket ' '  if  she  could  help  it;  but  the  Woman 
assured  her  that  she  had  gone  the  limit  and  that  she  could 
not  do  any  more  for  her. 

Hannah  was  somewhat  angry  and  said:  "Now  just 
when  I  wanted  and  could  pay  you  back  you  throw  me 
aside.  I  have  so  many  friends  in  the  east.  I  cooked  for 
two  years  at  a  summer  resort  and  there  were  lots  of  peo- 
ple who  would  have  taken  massages.  The  season  will 
soon  be  open  and  if  you  will  lend  me  the  fare,  I  promise 
you  before  God  to  send  you  every  cent  of  money  that  I 
owe  you,  if  I  have  to  work  my  finger  tips  off  to  do  it." 

The  Woman  smiled  in  a  half -bored  way,  and  in  a  sar- 
castic voice  replied :  "You  half  chew  them  off  now.  I  have 


60  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

often  told  you  to  keep  your  fingers  out  of  your  mouth. 
I  abhor  such  a  habit,  and  you  should  break  yourself  of 
it.  I  don't  care  to  have  Ronile  see  such  actions." 

Mr.  Bartells  called  on  the  telephone  many  times,  and 
in  going  out  the  Woman  and  little  girl  left  through  the 
servants'  entrance  to  avoid  meeting  him,  but  when  a  deter- 
mined man  makes  up  his  mind  to  accomplish  anything  he 
will  not  rest  until  he  has  done  so,  and  he  watched — he 
seemed  to  live  there  now,  steadily.  The  Woman  was  under 
a  great  nervous  strain ;  a  haunted  look  came  into  her  eyes ; 
at  the  sound  of  a  telephone  or  door-bell  she  would  jump 
and  run,  not  knowing  where  to  go. 

Hannah  managed  to  make  excuses  for  her,  and  often 
the  Woman  wondered  how  she  could  lie  to  Bartells  and  find 
excuses  so  clever  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment.  Often 
she  would  feel  sorry  for  Hannah  and  wonder  why  she  had 
not  profited  by  her  help  as  she  had  tried  so  hard  to  help 
her  make  something  of  herself,  but  in  that  coarse  soil  no 
tender  plant  will  ever  root,  but  the  answer  would  ring  back 
vividly:  "Behold  the  Master  healed  ten  of  leprosy  and  only 
one  returned  to  thank  Him,"  but  His  deed  is  registered  in 
the  Book  of  Mankind,  as  an  example  to  us,  and  those  ex- 
amples will  live  forevermore  and  multiply  to  grow  to 
mammoth  trees  in  faith  in  many  soils  that  live  on  earth. 

The  superintendent  informed  the  owner  that  they  were 
moving  and  before  Hannah,  who  answered  the  door-bell, 
could  find  time  to  make  an  excuse,  Mr.  Bartells  pushed  her 
aside  and  entered.  The  Woman  was  writing  and  her 
thoughts  were  still  on  her  task,  so  when  he  appeared  she 
met  him  quite  calmly,  and  asked  him  to  be  seated.  His 
body  twitched  with  agitation.  He  didn't  know  how  to 
begin. 

He  got  up  and  paced  the  floor  for  awhile,  then  stopping 
before  her  said:  "Do  I  hear  aright,  that  you  are  con- 
templating going  away  ?  If  my  perseverance  has  in  any  way 
molested  you,  pray  forgive  me,  for  I  did  not  intend  at  any 
time  to  hurt  your  feelings  in  the  least,"  and  he  took  out 
his  handkerchief  and  wiped  his  brow  as  if  to  brush  away 
troubled  thoughts.  After  a  little  he  continued:  "Please 
don't  think  I  am  a  brute,  just  because  I  want  the  dearest 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH    61 

little  woman  in  all  the  world,  and  went  at  it  the  wrong 
way.  I  assure  you  it  was  intended  in  the  utmost  sincerity. ' ' 

She  pitied  him  and  looking  straight  at  him  said: 
' '  Perhaps  it  is  not  to  be,  for  if  I  was  to  have  you  I  would 
want  you  and  all  the  world  could  not  interfere.  Fate 
stands  between  us,  guided  by  faith.  They  just  seem  to 
hold  me.  I  cannot  submit  myself  to  the  thought  of  belong- 
ing to  you. ' ' 

' '  Fate !  What  is  fate  ? "  he  demanded.  ' '  Why  should 
anything  control  your  mind  and  body  but  yourself?  I 
would  like  to  see  anything  but  my  own  will  power  control 
me,"  and  he  laughed  triumphantly  at  his  might  over 
himself. 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  "you  would  not  let  faith 
enter  into  your  system,  then  why  do  you  want  to  control 
another's  soul  and  body?  Why  should  I  give  up  my  faith 
just  because  you  desire  it  ?  If  you  did  not  want  my  inner 
self,  why  then  do  you  want  to  tear  down  an  altar  I  have 
built  with  tears  of  sorrow?"  He  did  not  interrupt  her, 
and  she  continued:  "Those  tears  have  formed  a  seat  for 
God.  I  call  it  'Mother  of  Pearl,'  and  that  does  not  break 
easily,  does  it?"  she  asked  him  sadly.  "So  strong  is  that 
place  that  He  remains  there  ever  with  an  all-seeing  eye 
that  sees  the  inner  self  more  than  the  outer.  Perhaps  you 
have  not  wept  much  in  your  life." 

"It  is  not  manly,"  he  answered.  "Women  weep  for 
both." 

"Yes,"  she  answered,  "if  men  would  weep  for  their 
own  sins  and  not  pile  all  the  blame  on  the  woman  they 
would  not  worship  at  the  altar  of  selfishness  to  buy  another 
woman's  soul." 

The  intelligence  of  her  speech  startled  him  and  turning 
to  her  he  said,  "What  books  do  you  read?" 

"The  Bible  and  I  read  fairy  tales  to  Ronile." 

"Is  that  all?  "he  asked. 

"Yes,"  she  said,  "my  time  is  mostly  taken  up  in 
working  to  support  us.  My  eyes  are  tired  when  I  finish 
with  the  needle  and  therefore  I  just  keep  Ronile  in  a  happy 
state  of  mind  by  reading  something  in  large  print  about 
fairies. ' ' 


62  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"But  where  do  you  get  the  idea  of  tears  making 
Mother  of  Pearl?" 

"My  inner  self,"  she  replied  simply. 

"But  where  lives  your  No.  2?"  he  asked  in  a  sarcastic 
way. 

"My  No.  2?     What  do  you  mean?" 

"Why  that  inner  self  you  are  talking  about." 

"Just  ME,"  she  said;  "the  woman  you  are  trying 
with  all  your  might  to  get ;  the  awakening  of  your  soul  is 
slowly  manifesting  itself.  You  crave  companionship,  but 
not  seeing  the  road  leading  through  deprivation  to  the 
light,  you  seek  in  vain  in  darkness  of  selfishness,  to  win  a 
form  gliding  beyond  your  reach.  Remember  when  once 
you  travel  that  road  of  hardship  and  deprivation,  you 
become  accustomed  to  the  pricks  of  thorns  and  briars,  even 
learning  to  go  without  food  at  times,  for  you  feed  on  the 
knowledge  the  soul  gathers  in  serving  hungry  hearts. 

' '  In  return  the  soul  brings  gratitude,  a  wonderful  food 
that  keeps  fresh  and  nourishes  miraculously,  and  so  the 
body  feeds  in  a  spiritual  way,  not  claiming  but  giving,  the 
soul  using  the  body  like  a  plant  in  a  pot — it  grows  there 
if  kept  from  weeds  and  gnawing  insects  called  temptation, 
and  then  when  those  spiritual  blossoms  bloom,  the  tie  is 
bound  by  the  Trinity  divine..  You  see,  that  is  why  the 
jewels  and  splendors  of  the  material  earth-plane  have  no 
charm  for  one  who  communicates  with  the  stars;  they  co- 
operate in  a  divine  union  and  charm  its  earthly  trans- 
mitters more  joyously  than  all  the  diamonds  combined." 

There  was  a  holy  look  on  her  face  and  he,  thinking 
she  suffered  with  religious  insanity,  changed  the  subject 
by  inquiring  when  they  would  leave  and  what  their  des- 
tination would  be.  The  Woman  still  lingering  on  a  sacred 
plane  in  thought,  told  him  she  had  no  destination,  perhaps 
would  go  back  to  Reno  or  Chicago.  She  had  relatives  in 
Nebraska  and  was  thinking  of  paying  them  a  visit,  but 
did  not  mention  that  to  the  inquirer. 

"Are  you  taking  Hannah?"  he  asked. 

"Perhaps,"  she  replied.  "Hannah  wants  to  pay  me 
back  and  is  quite  enthusiastic  about  treating  people  on 
the  train  to  make  money. ' ' 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH  63 

He  looked  amused,  then  laughed  shortly  and  pointing 
to  his  eye,  said, ' '  Do  you  see  any  money  in  my  eye  ? ' ' 

"No,"  she  replied,  "but  I  can  almost  hear  it,  that  is 
all  I  see  in  you — that  emblem  of  the  dollar. ' ' 

Ignoring  her  remark,  he  continued,  "Well,  just  that 
much  and  less  will  you  get  from  Hannah,  not  even  a 
thank  you." 

The  Woman,  however,  thought  his  animosity  was 
caused  by  jealousy,  and  said:  "Well,  I  will  try  anyway. 
She  was  in  the  hospital  and  suffered  much.  I,  too,  was  ill  in 
Reno  and  ready  to  go,  but  God  put  me  on  the  road  to  re- 
covery, because  I  asked  Him  to  help  me." 

"Well,"  he  asked,  "why  didn't  He  help  Hannah? 
You  helped  yourself  with  your  will  power  and  Hannah  is 
a  leech;  she  has  no  power  of  her  own;  otherwise  she 
would  not  hang  around  and  live  on  you.  She  is  twice 
your  size  and  able  to  help  herself." 

' '  Oh, ' '  wearily  answered  the  Woman, ' '  I  found  the  way 
to  lead  her  to  better  living  and  make  her  see  by  keeping 
her  in  my  environment  and  doing  my  best  to  help  her. ' ' 

"Well,"  he  said,  "your  plan  has  failed,  for  every 
chance  she  gets,  out  she  goes.  Where  did  you  send  her 
Tuesday  night?" 

' '  For  her  lesson, ' '  the  Woman  replied. 

"I  am  sorry  to  tell  you  she  went  to  a  show  with  the 
butcher's  clerk.  What  did  she  tell  you  when  she  came  home 
at  one  o'clock?" 

' '  Why  she  told  me  she  got  an  extra  lesson  as  she  wanted 
to  finish  so  she  could  go  back  soon." 

"Have  you  the  teacher's  telephone  number?"  and  he 
walked  toward  the  telephone.  He  called  up  and  after 
getting  the  connection  asked  if  Hannah  had  been  there 
Tuesday  night,  and  then  beckoned  Mrs.  Delien  to  take  the 
receiver.  The  answer  confirmed  Mr.  Bartells'  statement 
that  Hannah  had  not  taken  a  lesson  Tuesday  night,  and 
he  had  a  half  victorious  smile  on  his  face  as  the  Woman- 
told  him  that  he  was  right.  "Exposing  the  tricks  of  this 
impostor  will  bring  her  down  from  her  spiritual  perch," 
he  thought. 

As  the  Woman  slowly  seated  herself  he  stood  with  his 


64  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

back  toward  the  windows,  facing  her,  drinking  in  eagerly 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  soul  in  sore  distress.  He  did 
not  have  to  hide  his  face  from  the  light  for  the  Woman 
was  far  away,  and  a  sad  sigh  was  all  he  heard. 

Coming  forth  he  said,  "I  have  told  you,  but  expe- 
rience seems  to  be  your  only  teacher,  as  you  pay  no  atten- 
tion to  warnings." 

She  sighed  again  pondering  over  the  word  ' '  warning. ' ' 
In  her  heart  she  could  not  give  up  trying  to  save  a  decay- 
ing plant.  Had  she  not  found  her  between  life  and  death  ? 
Did  she  not  transplant  her  in  new  soil?  If  the  old  plant 
should  succumb,  would  not  the  sprouts  thrive  and  cover 
the  dry  remains  of  the  once  living  plant?  If  God  gave 
her  patience  and  meant  to  help  Hannah,  why  not  continue  ? 
If  she  lost,  well,  then,  did  she  not  lose  seven  years  of 
labor,  love,  youth  and  health  on  an  unworthy  husband? 
Should  she  now  give  up  this  universal  sister-love  because 
she  found  her  friend  unworthy  ?  What  if  she  won  ?  Like 
Mrs.  McHenry,  in  helping  to  give  a  child  its  mother  and  a 
husband  the  answer  to  ardent  prayer;  God  must  use  her 
as  a  channel  to  work  through,  therefore,  she  would  serve 
Him  at  all  times. 

Then  she  said,  "What  do  you  mean  by  warning?" 

"Just  a  signal  to  beware,  that  is  all,  to  make  you  heed 
the  consequences  of  ingratitude.  Are  you  not  afraid  of 
the  future,  the  pain  and  disappointment  this  person  will 
lead  you  to?" 

"No,"  said  the  Woman,  "there  is  no  fear  where 
justice  reigns.  Righteousness  and  justice  go  to  the  gallows 
rather  than  submit  to  weakness.  Why  did  Joan  of  Arc  try 
in  her  primitive  way  to  free  her  country  ?  She  was  only  a 
slip  of  a  girl,  a  peasant,  who  hardly  knew  how  to  read  or 
write,  yet  in  that  form  was  enough  power  to  conquer  a 
nation.  Why  did  not  King  Charles  of  France  hear  the 
call?  Because  he  was  blinded  by  lust  and  pleasure,  over- 
fed—too much  wine  and  women  to  hear  the  call.  It  was 
left  to  the  power  of  a  little  frail  woman,  ignorant  of  what 
was  before  her,  yet  willing  to  proceed  wherever  fate  led 
her  through  her  faith." 

"It  was  love  for  her  country,"  the  man  said. 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH  65 

"Well,  why  can  I  not  do  something  for  mankind?  My 
country  is  universal ;  is  it  not  possible  for  God  to  embody  in 
woman  the  power  to  labor  for  peace  ? ' ' 

"Joan  of  Arc  is  history,"  said  the  man. 

"Yes,  and  so  are  we,"  answered  the  Woman,  sharply. 
"It  is  the  duty  of  mothers  to  bring  up  their  children  to 
love  one  another  and  give  each  one  a  chance  to  unfold  its 
talents,  as  well  as  a  right  to  live  in  harmony,  not  some  in 
the  valleys  and  others  in  state.  Take  your  servants,  for 
instance.  You  said  that  you  liked  books  and  you  know 
them,  but  you  keep  them  behind  glass  doors,  away  from 
those  who  live  to  serve  you,  and  in  the  end  they  lay  down 
their  tools  and  pass  into  another  life,  with  nothing  but  the 
bow  of  obedience  or  the  mark  of  Cain  on  their  brow." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"A  bugle  call,"  she  answered.  "When  finance  ties 
the  hands  of  justice  and  commerce  blindfolds  her,  and  greed 
for  more  oils  the  machinery  with  human  blood  and  specu- 
lates with  lives  on  the  money  market.  Then  with  a  banner 
of  national  colors,  a  song  of  the  country,  they  fall  blindly  in 
the  holes  they  dug  for  each  other,  only  realizing  in  their 
dying  breath  that  they  had  killed  a  brother  and  so  they  die 
smiling  at  each  other,  these  enemies  as  they  join  hands  to 
knock  at  the  gateway  of  the  East  where  every  morning  the 
sun  rises  with  rays  of  love  and  life,  not  forgetting  any  saint 
or  sinner,  each  day  a  new  chance.  There  they  meet  the 
Shepherd  of  the  fold  gathering  them  in  for  He  has  bled 
for  mankind  and  many  have  forgotten  Him." 

Standing  with  hands  in  his  pockets,  Bartells  sized  her 
up,  highly  amused,  saying,  "Why  does  not  God  stop  these 
bloody  wars?" 

The  Woman  said :  ' '  He  tried  it  by  becoming  man  but 
they  crucified  Him  and  after  they  knew  He  was  the  Saviour, 
just  as  they  did  Joan  of  Arc.  Why  don't  these  mighty 
men  produce  instead  of  speculating;  why  don't  they  work 
on  a  universal  basis,  treating  all  alike?  Is  not  America 
called  God's  country?  Why,  because  it  is  the  Island  of 
Refuge,  its  shores  are  open  to  everyone,  and  the  immi- 
grants have  proved  worthy.  They  tilled  the  soil,  finding 
wealth  everywhere.  If  ever  the  gates  are  closed  and  the 


66  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

shores  no  longer  bear  the  sign  of  refuge,  they  will  stop 
digging  and  think  more,  which  they  have  not  done  so  far. 
Living  came  easy,  the  efficient  newspapers  do  the  think- 
ing and  they  will  give  the  bugle  call;  the  masses  assem- 
ble and  go  where  directed.  When  they  get  to  the  end 
and  devastation  they  will  think  of  the  false  alarm,  like 
the  herder  that  called  the  townspeople  the  first  time  and 
laughed  at  their  approach.  When  the  wolf  came  and  the 
cry  came  again  they  paid  no  heed,  for  once  a  liar  always 
a  liar." 

"Oh,"  said  the  man.  "You  hit  it.  Hannah  will 
never  stop  and  you  will  eventually  get  left." 

"Well,  I  will  just  fail  on  one  person  and  when  she 
meets  the  other  kind  a  remembrance  will  remain.  She  will 
think  of  me,  like  the  Nation  thinks  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Tell  me, ' '  she  said, ' '  why  do  we  love  Lincoln  best  ? ' ' 

"I  suppose  because  he  freed  the  slaves,"  he  answered. 

"Ah,"  she  said.  "Freed  the  slaves,  and  now  the 
world  is  filled  with  them.  How  many  young  women  tread 
the  streets  with  painted  lips  waiting  for  the  bidder  of  the 
slave  market?" 

"It  is  their  own  fault,  there  is  plenty  of  work  for  all 
but  they  are  too  lazy  to  work ;  they  would  rather  have  nice 
dresses  and  jewels." 

"Who  charms  them?"  asked  the  Woman,  to  which  he 
made  no  reply.  "Man,"  she  said.  "They  are  all  lured 
slowly,  like  a  child  who  is  lured  by  a  stick  of  candy,  and 
most  of  them  fall  in  the  attempt  to  accomplish  an  ambition 
and  man  preys  on  them,  promising  assistance  but  does  not 
stop  until  he  accomplishes  their  downfall.  Being  stripped 
of  the  wings  of  innocence  and  purity  the  slave  has  no 
more  ambition  to  try  and  so  leads  more  victims  to  the  valley 
of  despair.  Believe  me, "  she  said,  sadly,  as  though  she  were 
suffering  with  them,  "the  wages  of  sin  is  death,  and 
some  of  these  men  wonder  why  their  sons  and  daughters 
go  astray,  never  thinking  that  they  are  following  in  the 
old  man's  path.  There  is  no  other  way  for  them  to  go;  a 
turnip  will  not  grow  where  a  carrot  is  planted." 

He    touched   her   head    and    said,    "My   poor   little 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH  67 

philosopher,  why  do  you  rack  your  brain  by  worries  and 
cares  of  the  outside  world?" 

"Because  I  am  one  of  its  inhabitants,"  she  replied. 

"But,  my  child,  you  must  not  worry  for  others.  Who 
worries  for  you?" 

"That  is  true,"  she  replied.  "Many  will  follow  my 
trail  if  they  see  me  smiling.  You  know  the  saying :  '  Laugh 
and  the  world  laughs  with  you,  weep  and  you  weep  alone. ' 
I  have  done  my  share  of  weeping,  and  now  I  am  going  to 
smile  alone.  Therefore  I  do  not  worry  about  destination. 
If  I  give,  I  will  receive,  and  my  intention  is  to  give  if  only 
a  smile." 

' '  Take  me  with  you, ' '  he  said. 

"No,  but  I  will  write  to  you,"  and  he  left,  thinking 
she  would  come  back  and  forget  all  about  her  socialistic 
views. 

In  a  short  time,  the  business  was  arranged,  and  taking 
Hannah  with  them,  the  Woman  and  little  girl  were  soon 
on  the  ferry  ready  to  make  the  overland  trip.  Mr.  Bar- 
tells  was  there,  feeling  sure  he  would  find  out  where  they 
were  going. 

Hannah  saw  him  and  whispered, ' '  There  he  is. ' '  Fear- 
ing that  he  might  follow,  Mrs.  Delien  did  not  want  him  to 
see  the  tickets.  He  was  close  behind  as  they  passed  the 
gates  and  she  had  to  show  her  ticket  to  the  gateman.  Han- 
nah was  behind  the  old  gentleman,  and  noticing  him  put- 
ting on  his  glasses  with  the  intention  of  looking  over  the 
Woman's  shoulder  at  the  tickets,  she  dropped  to  the  floor 
with  a  cry  of  pain  as  she  said, ' '  Oh,  my  foot. ' '  He  turned 
around  quickly  to  help  her.  She  looked  at  him  in  a  half- 
painful,  half -am  used  way  and  hobbled  on  through  the 
gate. 

In  the  meantime  the  Woman  had  the  tickets  safely 
tucked  away  in  her  hand-bag  and  the  old  gentleman  had 
quite  a  deep  frown  on  his  face,  giving  Hannah  anything 
but  a  blessing.  He  tipped  the  porter,  cautioning  him  to 
take  good  care  of  the  little  party,  especially  the  child,  and 
asking  him  to  see  that  she  did  not  meet  with  any  harm  in 
getting  on  or  off  the  train  at  some  desolate  station.  Another 
farewell  and  a  promise  from  the  Woman  to  write  him  and 


68  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

the  train  rolled  on  leaving  an  old  heart  sad  and  disgusted 
and  a  young  soul  proud  of  victory. 

Passing  through  Wyoming,  Ronile  showed  signs  of 
fever;  it  grew  as  the  night  went  on,  and  next  day  she  was 
quite  ill  making  it  necessary  to  stay  over  at  Grand  Island. 
The  Woman  gave  Hannah  her  ticket  to  New  York  with 
enough  money  to  give  her  a  start,  saying  it  was  bad  enough 
to  take  a  sick  child  to  visit  relatives. 

When  they  were  comfortably  settled  at  the  home  of 
relatives,  they  called  a  physician  who  on  examining  the 
child  pronounced  it  smallpox.  Seeing  the  frightened  look 
on  the  mother's  face  he  assured  her  that  it  was  a  varioloid 
case  and  that  if  she  did  not  scratch  herself  there  might  not 
be  any  scars  left.  The  good  Dr.  Penn  did  his  best  but  by 
the  bedside  of  a  very  ill  child  knelt  the  mother,  quarantined, 
holding  the  twitching  hand  of  an  agonized  sufferer — even 
the  eyes  had  blisters  filled  with  matter.  She  would  herself 
make  the  mask  over  the  child's  face  and  for  five  days  and 
nights  no  sleep  entered  those  anxious  eyes,  as  she  knelt 
mostly  by  the  bed  of  her  child,  suffering  as  she  did,  laying 
her  head  close  to  hers,  singing,  with  tears  rolling  down  her 
cheeks,  "Jesus,  Little  Shepherd,  Hear  Me,  Bless  Your 
Little  Lamb  Tonight."  She  thought  of  how  He  healed 
the  lepers,  and  that  He  would  heal  Eonile.  Food  was  un- 
touched for  days.  She  only  prayed;  not  alone,  however, 
for  many  transparent  forms  were  around  the  bed  admin- 
istering to  child  and  mother,  always  saying,  "Thy  Will 
Be  Done."  Their  gentle  touch  thrilled  her  and  forgotten 
at  times  was  her  task  of  weaving  at  the  robe  of  patience. 
Well  did  she  stand  her  test  and  the  first  time  Ronile  sat 
up  the  mother  looked  her  over  and  found  not  a  scar. 

Then  for  the  first  time  she  ran  out  with  clasped  hands 
praising  God  and  all  His  spiritual  co-workers.  There  was 
plenty  of  fresh  milk,  honey  and  eggs,  and  after  five  weeks 
Ronile  was  quite  herself  again.  The  folks,  good  religious 
people,  were  glad  that  it  just  happened  so  that  they  had  a 
long  visit.  They  took  them  over  their  large  ranches  and 
poultry  yards  and  showed  them  what  they  accomplished 
with  homesteads.  There  were  large  alfalfa  and  wheat  fields 
like  an  ocean.  The  young  wheat  swayed  gently  as  though 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH  69 

blown  by  an  unseen  breath,  a  holy  breath,  the  Woman 
thought. 

On  account  of  the  season  they  left,  with  hopes  of  com- 
ing to  stay  the  next  time  when  they  came  west  again  to 
go  to  the  World's  Fair. 

"Anna,"  the  cousin  said,  "isn't  it  funny?  She'll  tell 
you  years  ahead  what  she  is  going  to  do  and  goes  and  does 
it.  To  think  she  goes  scooting  across  the  continent  making 
her  way  as  she  goes  on.  Well,  good  luck  to  you  and  God 
bless  you,  till  we  meet  again."  So  they  parted  crying  on 
all  sides,  the  folks  remarking,  "Just  when  we  get  used  to 
them  they  leave  us." 

"Well,"  said  the  Woman,  "it  is  better  to  stop  when 
things  taste  best  than  to  be  overfed  and  battle  with  indi- 
gestion. ' '  They  smiled  through  their  tears,  waving  another 
good-by  and  good  luck,  as  the  train  rolled  out  of  sight  like  a 
black  line  cutting  through  the  thickness  of  today  to  bring 
its  load  to  a  better  tomorrow. 

There  were  some  friends  at  the  station  when  the  train 
pulled  up  in  Chicago.  After  their  greeting  the  men  decided 
to  go  for  some  refreshments,  eyeing  Ronile  with  critical 
looks,  however,  wanting  to  be  on  the  safe  side  of  a  drink 
first.  If  any  of  those  smallpox  germs  were  running  astray 
it  would  be  better  to  take  a  brandy.  As  Ronile  had  no 
marks  they  finally  decided  that  it  could  not  have  been 
smallpox. 

The  Woman  only  said, ' '  We  are  in  an  era  of  time  when 
science,  skill  and  prayer  have  found  a  way  to  keep  perfect 
as  your  Father  in  heaven,"  and  she  smiled  pensively  as 
she  went  on,  ' '  We  lived  with  God  in  that  trying  time ;  why 
then  can  she  not  return  perfect  in  His  name?" 

After  a  few  days'  rest  with  good  friends,  the  Woman 
soon  had  an  ambition  to  lead  her  flowers  to  the  Chicago 
counters.  She  bought  some  materials  and  to  the  surprise 
of  her  friends  with  flying  fingers,  the  beautiful  flowers 
grew.  Then  she  went  and  bought  a  dress  for  herself,  a 
white  silk  poplin  with  black  satin  collar  and  cuffs  em- 
broidered in  red  silk,  and  a  row  of  white  buttons  graced 
the  simple  little  frock.  She  trimmed  a  white  Milan  straw 
hat  with  different  shades  of  silk  roses,  matching  the  Tea, 


70  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Marshall  Neil  and  American  Beauty  roses  cleverly  to  good 
advantage  for  her  brown  eyes  and  hair.  Then  she  bought 
a  pair  of  black  pumps,  with  white  silk  stockings  and  with 
a  red  rose  pinned  to  her  waist,  she  looked  like  she  had  come 
newly  created  from  some  Paris  shop.  She  took  a  small  box 
and  placed  the  samples  in  it  and  made  her  way  to  the 
largest  store.  One  friend  told  her  that  the  morning  would 
be  a  better  time,  but  the  Woman  said  the  flowers  would 
find  their  way  any  time  and  so  they  did. 

Coming  back  she  waved  a  large  order  list  and  when 
they  asked  her  how  she  did  it,  she  said,  "Well,  I  just 
asked  for  the  head  buyer  and  then  I  went  and  opened  the 
box,  that's  all  I  ever  have  to  do." 

One  of  the  gentlemen  said,  ' '  Why  some  people  have  to 
wait  around  for  days  to  see  that  man ;  that  shows  you  that 
ignorance  is  bliss." 

"No,"  said  the  Woman,  "novelty  has  the  lead,  for 
everybody  wants  something  new." 

One  of  the  gentlemen,  an  old  friend  who  knew  her  be- 
fore her  marriage,  and  the  mistake  of  her  choice,  as  they 
called  it,  winked  at  the  rest,  and  in  a  jolly  tone  asked  her 
why  she  did  not  make  up  her  mind  to  get  married  again. 
"I  never  thought  she  could  beat  him,"  meaning  the  hus- 
band. 

"Nor  did  I,"  replied  the  other. 

"Say,  did  you  hear  that?  He  is  now  living  with  his 
niece,  and  they  have  a  little  boy.  A  friend  just  told  me 
who  met  him  at  the  Club  as  he  stopped  over  in  Pittsburgh. ' ' 

"Whose  little  boy?"  asked  the  other. 

Shrugging  his  shoulders,  and  raising  his  brow,  the 
first  gentleman  replied,  "Don't  know." 

"How  does  he  explain  the  origin  of  the  boy,  when  he 
refused,  faking  lumbago,  to  get  out  of  supporting  his  own 
child?" 

"Well,"  said  the  other,  "he  seems  very  fond  of  that 
boy,  who  is  kind  of  idiotic." 

There  was  a  startled  expression  on  all  sides.  The 
Woman  looked  down  at  the  finger  where  once  the  band  had 
clung,  that  means  so  much,  the  ring  that  binds  two  for 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH  71 

better  or  worse,  and  she  stroked  the  hand  as  if  in  a  sooth- 
ing way  to  tell  it,  that  the  step  they  took  was  a  wise  one. 

"Idiotic?"  echoed  the  party. 

"Yes,"  said  the  speaker,  "he  wants  to  have  the  boy 
operated  on:  thinks  it  would  loosen  the  tongue." 

"Does  he  claim  to  be  the  boy's  father?"  asked  one 
of  the  women. 

"No,"  said  the  man,  "he  says  he  adopted  him  just 
because  he  can't  see  his  own  child." 

"Oh,"  said  the  other,  "had  to,  I  suppose.  That  white- 
slaver.  He  is  a  detriment  to  the  race.  How  good  it  is 
for  her  (pointing  to  the  Woman)  that  she  left  him  in  time. 
I  would  not  trust  that  scoundrel  with  his  own  child." 

It  seemed  none  of  them  had  the  courage  to  jolly  the 
Woman  further  about  being  married  again.  They  saw  her 
lips  tremble  and  the  paleness  of  her  face.  Frank  Bedford 
seemed  sorry  he  spoke  of  Ronile's  father  in  the  Woman^s 
presence  and  to  change  the  subject  he  advised  a  farewell 
dinner  with  May  Bowl. 

' '  There  is  a  place  where  we  can  get  some  Waldmeister, 
a  wonderful  herb,  for  the  punch,"  and  smacking  his  lips, 
he  called  out,  "How  about  it?"  and  all  agreed,  so  the  news 
of  the  husband  was  forgotten  by  all  except  Mrs.  Delien. 

It  was  a  happy  party.  They  drank  to  the  Woman's 
good  luck  and  courage.  One  said,  "For  a  better  partner, 
when  you  get  married  again,"  but  Mrs.  Delien  smiled 
sadly  as  she  was  eating  the  delicious  Russian  salad  for 
which  the  hostess  was  awarded  the  blue  ribbon  at  a  bazaar. 
She  seemed  to  ignore  the  answer  and  complimenting  the 
hostess  on  her  success  in  having  received  such  a  lovely 
award  said  it  surely  was  the  best  she  had  ever  tasted. 

"Now  here,"  said  Frank,  "we  are  not  talking 
about  any  blue  ribbon ;  we  want  to  know  if  that  finger  there 
has  not  a  solitaire  hidden  somewhere,  and  you  are  keeping 
us  in  the  dark." 

Frank  got  up  with  his  glass  in  his  hand,  the  rest  doing 
likewise,  and  gave  a  toast  to  the  hidden  treasure,  but  the 
Woman  had  only  a  large  emerald  with  diamonds  around  it, 
also  a  carat  and  a  half  Canary  diamond,  surrounded  by 
fifteen  blue  and  white,  and  a  small  solitaire,  but  they  all 


72  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

knew  she  had  received  that  on  her  birthday.  She  held  up 
her  hands  and  laughed. 

"Well,"  said  Frank,  "did  you  ever  hock  any?" 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  asked. 

' '  I  want  to  know  if  you  ever  visited  '  Uncle, '  ' '  and  he 
formed  with  two  hands  a  ball. 

"Oh,"  she  said,  "you  mean  to  pawn  them?  No,  not 
yet.  Why  I  never  thought  you  could  do  that." 

"No,  you  wouldn't  do  that,"  said  the  other.  "I  re- 
member the  time  when  we  were  in  Saratoga;  we  played 
a  lot  at  Kane  Fields  and  tied  a  great  deal  on  the  horses' 
tails,  and  say,  she  wouldn't  part  with  a  ring,  to  pawn  it. 
She  just  went  home  and  he  had  to  borrow  the  means  to 
follow  her." 

"Well,"  she  said,  "if  he  spent  in  three  weeks  what 
we  had  planned  to  spend  in  enjoying  a  six  weeks'  vacation, 
he  would  have  in  another  day  used  up  all  the  rings  and  lots 
more,  so  I  thought  it  was  better  to  go,  knowing  he  would 
then  be  out  of  temptation." 

"Now,"  said  Frank,  "if  you  can  lead  them  out  of 
temptation,  how  many  poor  fellows  need  a  woman  like 
you,  to  help  them  get  courage  and  quit." 

"Why  can't  they  quit  without  relying  on  some  one 
else?"  she  asked.  "I  am  not  inclined  toward  reforming 
men." 

"If  you  loved  him  you  would,"  said  the  hostess. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  Woman,  "but  I  can't  love  anything 
with  a  weakness  of  habit,  and  don't  intend  to  ever  fall 
for  a  mission  of  that  kind." 

"Is  your  heart  so  broken  that  you  can't  love  any 
more?"  asked  Frank. 

"I  can't  say  that,"  she  replied.  "There  is  love  that 
travels,  linking  up  with  everything — a  universal  love." 

"Now,"  said  Frank,  "you  can't  have  them  all." 

"No,"  said  the  hostess,  "not  Frank,  anyway." 

"You  do  not  understand." 

"No,"  said  Frank,  "your  heart  is  like  a  prune." 

"Well,"  laughed  the  Woman,  "it  keeps  better  dried 
up." 

Looking  at  the  blue  ribbon,  Mrs.   Delien  thought  a 


"The  hours  1  spend  with  thee,  dear  heart,  are  but  a  string  of  pearls  to 
me.     1  count  them  over,  everyone  apart." — My  Rosary. 


AT  THE  CROSS-ROADS— WEALTH  OR  FAITH  73 

while,  then  she  said,  ''Some  day  my  flowers  will  bring  me 
one  like  that,  for  I  love  them  and  as  I  join  each  leaf  in  a 
loving  way  they  can't  help  but  leave  a  sweet  condition  with 
the  purchaser." 

The  hostess  said,  ' '  I  saw  one  of  your  flowers  on  the  hat 
of  a  very  aristocratic  lady,  with  a  smaller  one  on  the  lace 
of  her  collar." 

"Oh,"  said  the  flower-maker,  as  she  took  the  large 
spray  apart,  and  happily  she  kept  on,  ' '  See,  they  begin  to 
respond  to  the  loving  greeting  I  send  them  on  with." 

Mr.  Frank  Bedford  rose,  saying,  "You  can  love  your 
flowers,  but  why  did  God  take  the  rib  out  of  Adam  ? ' '  and 
dramatically  recited:  "It  is  not  well  that  you  should  live 
alone." 

"What  about  Ronile?"  asked  the  Woman. 

"All  the  more  reason,  she  needs  authority  as  she  grows 
up.  You  will  see  that  when  she  stops  reading  fairy  tales. 
She  won't  want  to  confide  in  you  all  the  time." 

"But  suppose  she  does,"  said  the  Woman.  "We  are 
now  very  much  attached — bound  together — by  the  rope  of 
experience.  We  have  traveled  over  many  obstacles;  why 
should  we  separate  if  we  agree  ?  Our  happiness  lies  in  our 
peace — peace  that  means  more  to  me  than  a  man's  love  and 
wealth.  Now  let  us  talk  of  something  else,"  she  said  im- 
patiently, ' '  I  don 't  want  to  look  over  myself  always.  '  Thy 
Will  be  Done, '  is  my  motto.  It  brought  me  to  the  last  goal, 
the  harmony  of  soul.  I  am  happy  as  I  am." 

"That's  right,"  said  Frank.  "Now  when  we  go  to 
the  country,  will  you  come  along,  or  will  you  stay  in  our 
house  and  take  care  of  it?" 

"Why  don't  you  come?"  asked  the  hostess.  "Camp- 
ing is  just  what  you  need  for  your  nerves  especially  after 
taking  care  of  Ronile." 

"Yes,"  interrupted  Frank,  "you  could  have  kissed 
a  goat  between  the  horns,  so  thin  was  your  face  when 
you  arrived.  There  is  a  chance  for  you,  make  up  your 
mind." 

It  was  midnight  when  they  retired ;  one  of  those  sultry, 
hot  nights  and  an  east  wind  was  blowing,  and  in  spite  of 
living  near  Evanston  the  odor  of  the  stockyards  was  an 


74  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

occasional  visitor.  The  Woman  thought  a  long  while, 
weighing  carefully  the  sweet  country  air  of  Spider  Lake, 
Wisconsin,  and  the  heavy  odor  of  the  stockyards.  At  last 
she  realized  that  there  was  a  chance  to  earn  money  and  it 
takes  time  to  make  the  flowers.  Thus  viewing  the  situation 
she  came  to  the  conclusion  that  she  would  take  advantage  of 
her  friends'  invitation  to  remain  in  their  home  and  work. 
With  that  resolution  she  fell  asleep,  blessing  all  that  were 
good  to  her. 

At  breakfast  she  told  her  friends  that  she  would  like 
to  remain  in  their  home  as  she  would  feel  more  at  ease  to 
work,  and  she  had  a  big  order  to  finish.  She  needed  the 
money  as  she  wanted  to  start  a  Novelty  Shop  in  New  York, 
so  that  when  the  Western  buyers  came,  she  could  eventually 
establish  a  nice  business. 

They  agreed  with  her,  knowing  that  up  to  that  time  she 
had  never  borrowed  money  from  her  friends.  Often  they 
asked  her  if  she  needed  anything,  telling  her  not  to  hesitate 
about  asking,  for  they  realized  that  a  woman  raising  a 
child  must  at  times  face  a  low  financial  tide. 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  "when  that  comes  in  we 
cast  our  eyes  upwards  to  the  One  who  makes  the  evolution, 
the  sunshine  and  storm  just  to  purify  the  air.  After  the 
storm  subsides  there  is  more  magnetism  in  the  air.  If  I 
borrowed  from  my  friends  the  form  of  debtor  would  take 
the  place  of  cordiality,  often  pushing  poor  friendship  out 
of  existence.  See,  I  prefer  the  dear  good  Mrs.  Friendship, 
to  the  frowning,  cruel,  heartless  Mr.  Debt." 

"Where  do  you  get  that  stuff?  Putting  everything 
into  form?"  asked  Frank,  as  he  rolled  up  his  napkin  and 
started  to  light  a  cigar. 

"Why,"  she  replied,  "Experience  brings  them  to 
me." 


CHAPTER  XV 

MY  SOUL'S  DOMAIN 

"When  I  sit  twisting  flowers,  my  soul  models  these 
forms  and  my  soul's  abode  is  filled  with  that  kind  of  stat- 
uary. Energy  is  the  superintendent, ' '  she  smiled.  ' '  Cau- 
tion stands  by  the  gate  of  the  soul 's  domain.  This  Caution 
is  a  very  old  man  full  of  mars  and  wrinkles  blaming  Ex- 
perience for  his  deep  furrows.  He,  however,  rejects  the 
blame  as  Duty  marks  the  daily  road  sign  to  lead  them  on. 
'I  stand  alone  against  Desire,  Adventure,  Greed,  and  must 
follow  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave, '  said  Experience.  Her 
gateway  is  always  open;  they  seek  her  most  in  Pleasure 
and  when  they  come  to  the  gate,  the  soul's  domain,  Mr. 
Caution  is  not  always  heeded.  Love,  for  instance,  doesn't 
know  him.  She  flies  over  the  gate,  knows  no  bounds  until 
she  meets  Disappointment,  a  fellow  with  remorseful  eyes, 
and  pouting  lips.  He  wanders  on  with  her  to  sip  the 
sweetness  out  of  the  cups  of  purity,  leaving  her  at  times 
to  know  him  better.  He  communicates  with  her  through 
Longing,  a  gray  misty  form  that  turns  the  sunshine  into 
rain.  With  Love's  garments  wet  from  tears  caused  by 
Disappointment,  Vengeance  urges  her  to  meet  Caution  who 
with  Experience  tries  to  bring  her  Patience.  But  Longing 
has  a  stronger  hold  and  leads  her  to  Adventure ;  there  she 
meets  him.  A  union  follows ;  they  assemble  in  the  Festival 
Hall.  Hope  appears  at  times.  A  short  appeal  to  Faith, 
however,  failed  to  win  Love  as  she  is  in  the  palace  of  Ad- 
venture and  meeting  Mirth,  the  wife  of  Lust.  Advised 
by  Adventure  they  climb  the  high  mountain  called  Plea- 
sure, stopping  at  times  at  the  inn  of  Mr.  Brutality  and  his 
wife,  Intoxication.  At  sunrise  comes  Awakening,  touching 
her  gently  with  a  golden  beam,  beckoning,  whispering 
through  the  birds,  flowers  and  rippling  waters.  Alas, 
Brutality  is  Love's  host  and  he  jars  Love's  sweet  sentiment 
as  he  introduces  Love  to  his  son  Destruction.  He  does  not 
heed  her  cry  to  spare  the  birds  and  flowers.  She  weeps 
tenderly,  holding  the  dying  bits  of  God's  creation.  Thus 


76  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Sympathy  holds  firm  Love's  hopeless  cry.  Mirth  and 
Lust  regard  not  Sympathy.  They  follow  Pleasure,  while 
Love  repudiates  Brutality  and  Destruction.  She  clings  to 
Faith  a  little  while,  who  tries  with  Tenderness  to  bring 
her  back  to  Caution.  Alas,  Longing  comes  with  orders 
from  Adventure,  to  meet  Disappointment  on  top  of  Mount 
Pleasure.  She  runs  with  Longing  from  the  Inn  of  Bru- 
tality, Intoxication  and  Destruction,  but  meets  Fear  on 
the  threshold — a  giant,  black  form  that  works  in  the  dark, 
carrying  his  missions  under  cover.  He  with  firm  tyran- 
nical hold  leads  Love  and  Longing  to  his  wife  Forgetful- 
ness  into  the  hut  of  Darkness.  There  Sorrow  is  born  to 
Love.  Longing  administers,  reminding  her  to  forget 
Disappointment.  Faith  calls  for  Dr.  Hope  and  his  wife, 
Charity.  They  lead  Love  to  Caution.  Sorrow  is  baptized 
'Joy'  by  tears  of  Remorse,  held  in  a  shell  of  Mother  of 
Pearl,  that  Experience  gathered  as  they  fell  from  the  eyes 
of  weeping  Love,  looking  for  Disappointment. 

"Faith  pours  the  shining  drops  on  the  head  of  Sor- 
row. Hope  brings  him  to  the  Altar  of  Sacrifice;  Charity 
clothes  him  in  a  new  garment,  made  from  the  light  that 
shines  from  within. 

"Advice,  the  daughter  of  Caution,  leads  Love  toward 
the  great  Hall  of  'Thy  Kingdom  Come.'  Sweet  Intention 
presents  Love  with  lilies  with  which  Love  decorates  the 
altar  of  Sacrifice.  With  outstretched  arms,  Joy  greets 
Love  as  Past  removes  the  former  name  of  Sorrow  and  the 
Light  from  within  writes  illuminatingly  all  over  Joy." 

With  outstretched  arms,  Frank  cried,  "For  heaven's 
sake,  if  your  soul  made  all  the  stuff  you  just  mentioned, 
then  we  will  adopt  Joy, ' '  laying  his  hands  on  the  Woman 's 
shoulder,  saying  wistfully :  ' '  There  is  no  use  talking,  there 
is  something  to  it;  I  wish  I  could  see  things  the  way  you 
do.  A  mighty  fine  world  you  are  living  in,  old  girl." 
Taking  out  his  watch  and  realizing  that  he  was  late,  he  bid 
a  hasty  good-by  and  rushed  to  the  Argyle  Station. 

A  few  days  later  the  friends  departed  for  a  month's 
camping  in  Wisconsin,  remarking  as  their  car  purred  its 
way  through  farms  and  forests :  ' '  Why  she  looked  so  happy 


MY  SOUL'S  DOMAIN  77 

and  not  bitter.  Keno  is  a  good  place  after  all;  it  took  all 
the  bitterness  out  of  her." 

' '  Oh,  no, ' '  said  the  wife,  ' '  not  Reno.  Experience  and 
faith  took  it  out  of  her."  They  kept  the  Woman  as  their 
main  topic,  still  remaining  with  her  Soul's  Domain,  won- 
dering how  they  could  build  their  statuary  of  faith. 

"Give  up  your  habit  of  smoking,"  said  the  wife. 

"There  are  sixteen  dollars'  worth  of  cigars,  a  month's 
supply."  He  figured  up  that  only  four  cigars  a  day 
(fifty  cents),  would  amount  to  $182.50  a  year. 

"Yes,"  said  the  wife,  "just  think  of  the  poor  woman 
with  a  tubercular  husband  and  five  children  living  in  a 
basement  without  a  bed;  how  the  neighbors  keep  them 
alive.  For  $182.50  we  could  clothe  all  the  children  and 
get  a  bed  for  them  and  here  you  blow  it  in  the  air." 

"Ah,  but  think  of  the  satisfaction  of  sitting  in  your 
easy  chair  blowing  the  smoke  of  a  good  Havana  through 
your  nostrils,  gazing  after,  forming  plans  as  they  form 
ringlets  and  vanish." 

"Vanish,"  echoed  the  wife.  "You  said  it,  Frank 
dear;  there  is  a  dried  leaf  rolled  up  and  sold  for  lots  of 
money  and  smoked  into  ringlets  to  vanish." 

' '  But  it  keeps  lots  of  people  in  employment. ' ' 

"And  puts  lots  of  nails  into  their  coffins,"  answered 
the  wife.  "If  they  would  plant  food  instead  of  tobacco 
there  would  be  other  means  of  making  a  healthier  living 
for  those  employed." 

"Yes,"  said  Frank,  "that's  right.  A  pasture  for 
goats  would  be  even  better;  it  would  mean  milk  for  the 
children." 

Thus  it  happened  that  Frank  smoked  just  half  the 
usual  amount,  telling  his  wife  of  the  plan  to  get  those  kid- 
dies some  shoes  when  they  went  back,  which  they  did.  So 
with  vibrating,  good  thoughts  of  harboring  charity,  the 
clean  fresh  air  and  God's  good  sunshine  brought  a  happy 
family  closer  to  the  gates  of  heaven. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

WITH  FATE  ALONE 

The  Woman  sat  from  morning  until  night  by  the  win- 
dow, working  untiringly  on  the  silk  flowers  as  if  she  wanted 
to  rival  Nature  herself.  The  orders  were  turned  in  at  the 
promised  time.  Ronile  played  with  her  little  friend  Karl 
and  many  times  the  Woman  laughed  at  the  sturdy  little 
fellow  as  he  played  Percy,  the  mechanical  man.  Ronile 
would  touch  the  button  and  Percy  would  perform  all  kinds 
of  tasks  with  great  patience.  "If  he  had  to  stand  in  that 
position,  as  I  behold  him  now,  for  at  least  ten  minutes  for 
punishment  or  force  he  would  deem  it  torture.  It  evident- 
ly shows,"  thought  the  Woman,  "that  patience  thrives 
better  in  the  mellow  soil  of  freedom  than  on  a  rock  of  com- 
pulsion. ' ' 

Karl's  mother,  a  dear  good  woman,  helped  her  friend 
make  leaves  and  applied  at  every  store  in  the  neighborhood 
for  boxes  to  pack  the  flowers  in.  She  marveled  about 
California,  hoping  that  some  day  they  could  live  there. 

Without  looking  up  the  Woman  said,  "You  will." 
Karl's  mother  jumped  in  delight,  almost  upsetting  all  the 
small  lots  of  wires  and  ribbons  she  held  in  the  box  cover 
on  her  lap. 

' '  Do  you  think  so  ? "  she  cried. 

"Why  not?"  said  the  Woman,  "if  your  wish  is  cen- 
tered there.  A  magnet  must  draw  that  desire  from  you." 

' '  If  you  say  so,  I  know  we  will, ' '  replied  Karl 's  mother, 
' '  for  whatever  you  said  before  came  true,  and  we  often  re- 
marked how  you  knew  things,  and  how  easy  it  is  for  you 
to  make  up  your  mind  and  go." 

"Well,"  said  the  Woman,  "most  people  are  afraid  to 
advance  for  fear.  I  go  in  good  faith ;  it  awaits  me  at  every 
station.  Fear,  I  do  not  know." 

"But,"  said  her  friend,  "don't  you  fear  God?" 

"No,"  replied  the  Woman,  "I  love  Him  too  much. 
Perhaps  if  I  loved  Him  less  I  would  fear  Him,  but  knowing 


WITH  FATE  ALONE  79 

Him  in  His  mercy  of  being  nearest  when  need  is  greatest 
I  cannot  help  but  just  devotedly  love  Him  without  fear." 

"But  the  Bible  says  to  fear  God,"  the  friend  inter- 
posed. 

"It  is  true,"  said  the  Woman,  "but  I  follow  Christ's 
teachings  to  love  one  another.  Just  look  at  the  seventeenth 
chapter  in  the  Evangelium  of  John,  when  Christ  said,  'I 
am  one  with  Thee,  oh  Father,  and  Thou  art  One  with  Me ; 
may  they  be  one  with  Us.  That  all  the  world  will  know 
that  Thou  hast  sent  me  forth  to  do  Thy  will  and  that  Thou 
lovest  them  as  Thou  hast  ever  loved  me.  Thy  word  is 
truth,  oh  God,  and  by  thy  word  let  them  be  sanctified.' 
How,  then,  can  we  feel  anything  but  divine  love  and  de- 
votion for  such  a  glorious  appeal  from  the  Son  to  the 
Father  for  us  ?  In  those  words  we  feel  a  hold  so  strong — 
just  love,  and  no  fear,"  she  concluded. 

A  ring  from  the  back  door  bell  interrupted  the  sacred 
argument.  The  friend  examining  the  box  the  expressman 
brought  clasped  her  hands  in  delight,  and  cried,  "Fish 
from  Spider  Lake!"  It  resulted  that  the  two  families 
joined  in  a  delicious  fish  dinner,  blessing  that  bunch  up 
there  in  Wisconsin. 

Two  weeks  later  Mrs.  Delien  finished,  planning  to  take 
the  steamer  over  the  Great  Lakes  to  Buffalo.  She  set  the 
house  in  perfect  order,  blessing  each  room,  and  they  left 
on  Saturday  saying  it  would  be  better  to  be  out  before  the 
folks  came  back  thus  avoiding  confusion,  and  so  as  not  to 
overstep  the  generosity  of  their  good  friends. 

As  they  went  on  board  the  boat  Ronile  was  presented 
with  a  large  basket  of  fruit  from  one  of  the  uncles,  as  it 
was  her  habit  to  address  all  male  and  female  friends  as 
aunty  and  uncle.  They  waved  joyously  as  the  boat  glided 
through  the  clear  water.  A  cool  wind  swept  over  the  tired 
form  of  the  Woman  and  knowing  Ronile  could  not  get  lost 
on  the  ship  she  was  about  the  first  to  go  to  her  berth  to 
relax  both  in  mind  and  body.  They  stayed  on  board  as 
the  boat  landed  at  Detroit,  but  went  ashore  at  Mackinac 
Island,  where  the  mother  purchased  Ronile  a  small  Indian 
doll.  They  arrived  at  Buffalo  early  in  the  morning.  The 
Woman  first  checked  her  baggage  and  purchased  her  tick- 


80  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

ets  to  New  York.  Then  they  took  a  car  to  Niagara  Falls 
and  enjoyed  a  wonderful  day. 

In  the  evening  they  took  the  train  to  New  York.  At 
the  first  breakfast  call  they  were  ready  to  partake  and 
when  the  train  passed  New  Rochelle  they  sat  with  eager 
eyes  watching  the  familiar  scenery.  A  presentiment 
seemed  to  manifest  itself  to  the  Woman,  for  she  took  all 
her  valuables  and  tucked  them  carefully  into  her  bag,  re- 
gretting at  times  that  she  had  come  back  east. 

It  was  very  hot  when  they  arrived  on  Forty-second 
Street.  The  city  was  smoky  and  uninviting  but  she  did 
not  tarry  with  the  vague  feeling  that  seemed  to  worry  her. 
She  banished  the  thought  and  with  determined  step  she 
walked  along  Lexington  Avenue  to  rent  a  modern  parlor 
floor  for  her  intended  Novelty  Shop. 

They  took  a  small  temporary  apartment  on  the  ground 
floor,  and  Ronile  sighed  and  said,  "There  are  no  birds 
singing  in  this  place,  and  no  trees,  or  flowers."  Her 
mother  told  her  that  in  a  few  days  they  would  get  a  better 
home  with  at  least  a  tree  in  the  back  yard.  Then  they 
looked  for  Hannah,  leaving  their  address  with  the  house- 
keeper, who  informed  them  that  Hannah  was  out  with  a 
gentleman  friend.  Holding  Ronile  by  the  hand,  the  Wo- 
man looked  at  many  For  Rent  and  To  Let  signs,  and  finally 
after  climbing  many  stairs  she  found  a  suitable  place.  She 
then  took  her  savings  and  went  to  purchase  the  furniture. 
A.las,  Ronile  became  very  tired  and  lifting  up  her  foot 
she  showed  her  mother  how  it  hurt  and  indeed  there  was  a 
blister  on  the  heel.  If  Hannah  was  home  she  could  leave 
Ronile  with  her  but  now  she  must  take  her  home  and  finish 
tomorrow,  she  thought. 

They  ate  a  simple  supper,  then  she  bathed  Ronile  and 
put  her  to  bed.  They  prayed  ardently.  A  weakness 
seemed  to  overcome  the  Woman.  She  thought  of  Hannah 
and  her  friend  as  she  sat  by  the  bed  still  holding  the  hand 
of  the  sleeping  child  as  if  she  needed  support.  Her 
thoughts  wandered  to  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  where 
Christ  had  prayed  and  begged  His  disciples  to  watch  just 
a  little  while  with  Him. 

"Oh,  my  Father,"  she  prayed,  "why  should  I  enter 


WITH  FATE  ALONE  81 

into  Gethsemane?  Have  I  not  finished  the  cup  of  bitter- 
ness?" Her  chest  began  to  heave;  drops  were  standing 
on  her  forehead.  With  shaky  fingers  she  loosened  her  gar- 
ments, and  kneeling  before  the  bed  she  rested  her  head 
on  her  clenched  fingers,  calling  out  for  her  daily  bread,  and 
not  to  be  led  into  temptation  and  to  be  delivered  from  evil. 
Thus  putting  soul  and  body  into  the  hands  of  the  Father 
she  went  to  bed  and  soon  she  slept  peacefully  with  her 
savings  under  her  pillow. 

It  was  rather  late  in  the  morning  when  they  were 
awakened  by  a  baby  carriage  being  wheeled  down  three 
flights  of  stairs.  They  had  to  look  around  getting  ac- 
customed to  the  dingy  quarters  and,  recollecting  her  task 
of  a  busy  day,  the  Woman  quickly  jumped  out  of  bed. 

Ronile  followed  suit  and  as  she  buttoned  her  Mary 
Jane  slipper  she  said.  "Why  doesn't  Hannah  come, 
mother  dear?" 

With  a  sad  look  on  her  face  the  mother  said:  "If 
we  think  strongly  enough,  dear,  she  must  come  as  we  have 
up  to  now  been  the  giver.  She  is  our  debtor  if  in  nothing 
else  but  gratitude.  I  need  her  now, ' '  she  continued  as  she 
loosened  the  shoe  and  sock  again  looking  at  Ronile 's  heel. 
It  was  a  large  spot  where  the  skin  had  come  off  in  the  bath. 
She  took  some  salve  and  a  piece  of  cotton,  put  it  gently 
over  the  heel  and  then  slipped  the  sock  on  and  Ronile 
agreed  that  if  Hannah  did  not  come  she  would  go  with 
her  mother,  to  see  the  tree  in  the  back  yard. 

Then  she  cried,  "Maybe  there  will  be  sunshine  and 
then  I  will  take  my  shoe  off  and  let  the  sun  make  a  new 
skin  over  my  heel." 

With  stern  eyes  and  set  face  the  Woman  silently 
went  about  her  task.  She  counted  her  money  (eight  hun- 
dred dollars),  then  took  the  locket  from  Ronile  and  the 
bracelet  she  always  wore  and  put  all  in  a  bag.  Eagerly 
the  child  pulled  out  the  bracelet  and  slipped  it  over  her 
hand,  begging  her  mother  to  let  her  wear  it. 

"But  you  are  too  small,  yet,  dear,  you  may  lose  it; 
you  know  I  am  so  worried  about  these  things  and  it  would 
seem  terrible  to  lose  this,"  she  continued  rather  painfully. 

"Yes,"  said  Ronile,  "if  we  lost  it  then  we  would  lose 


82  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

our  luck."  She  fondled  the  little  hearts  that  jingled 
around  the  gold  band.  Each  was  engraved  with  the  name 
of  the  giver;  at  the  end  was  a  small  cross  on  which  was 
written  in  tiny  letters :  ' '  May  your  cross  of  life  never  be 
heavier  than  this." 

Turning  it  she  said:  "Mother,  when  did  grandma 
give  you  this,  and  the  little  hearts  ? ' ' 

' '  Oh, ' '  sighed  the  Woman,  ' '  on  my  sixteenth  birthday. 
Don't  you  remember?  I  have  told  you  so  often." 

"Yes,  mother  dear,  but  the  more  you  tell  me  the  older 
I  am  and  when  I  am  sixteen  you  will  give  it  to  me,  won't 
you?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  mother,  "you  may  have  it  as  I  am 
feeling  now  the  jar  of  those  little  hearts  as  they  jingle  on 
my  arms.  Besides,  it  is  better  in  this  neighborhood  not  to 
show  any  jewelry,"  and  thus  speaking  she  placed  the  rings 
in  the  corner  of  a  chamois  bag,  tucked  it  in  and  laid  every- 
thing on  the  table. 

They  went  into  the  bathroom  to  wash  up  when  Ronile 
cried,  "Oh,  here  comes  Hannah!"  They  listened  and  not 
being  dressed  the  Woman  opened  the  door  and  rushed  to 
the  bathroom.  Ronile  hurried  and  soon  came  back  ready 
to  jump  into  Hannah's  arms,  but  no  one  was  there.  Run- 
ning to  her  mother  Ronile  cried,  "Why,  mother,  there  is 
no  one  here!"  The  Woman  went  to  the  door;  it  was  wide 
open  and  coming  back,  she  looked  around  calling,  "Han- 
nah, come  on,  we  are  in  a  hurry,  no  fooling  now!  "  Ronile 
looked  up  at  her  mother  anxiously,  as  the  latter  slowly  and 
with  piercing  glance  looked  over  the  room.  Her  eyes 
rested  on  the  empty  table;  the  purse  was  gone. 

In  a  husky  voice  she  asked,  "Did  you  take  the  bag 
from  the  table,  Ronile  ? ' ' 

"No,  mother,  I  did  not  see  it.  You  put  it  on  the  table 
when  we  went  to  the  bathroom." 

The  Woman  dropped  into  a  chair,  folding  her  arms 
tightly  about  her,  as  if  she  had  to  keep  something  together, 
body,  faith,  hope.  "Oh,  God,"  she  cried.  "Not  that,  not 
that;  only  You  know  how  hard  it  was  to  earn  it." 

Ronile  fell  on  her  knees  imploring  her  mother :  ' '  Why 
did  you  not  let  me  have  the  bracelet?  Now  it  is  gone." 


WITH  FATE  ALONE  83 

She  sobbed  as  she  touched  her  neck  and  cried,  ' '  My  locket, 
too,  and  the  ring  with  the  little  diamond,  the  Forget-Me- 
Not  ring,  with  the  blue  stones  around  the  little  diamond." 

Suddenly  the  Woman  arose  to  her  feet  like  a  shot, 
throwing  out  her  arms,  holding  them  apart,  and  calling 
out :  ' '  My  crucifixion — lead  me  to  it. ' '  Came  the  cry  from 
a  dying  soul,  "My  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?"  A 
bitterness  seemed  to  possess  the  tortured  victim,  and  she 
ran  out  the  door  up  the  street  toward  Third  Avenue. 
Coming  out  of  the  side  entrance  of  a  saloon  she  beheld  a 
policeman.  Approaching  him  she  stammered  out  her  loss. 
He  told  her  to  report  at  once  to  the  Thirty-fifth  Street 
Station.  She  ran  without  a  hat,  forgetting  poor  little 
Konile,  who  stood  on  the  corner  crying  as  much  for  the 
locket  and  bracelet  as  for  her  mother.  The  policeman 
talked  kindly  to  her,  holding  her  hand  and  getting  further 
particulars  from  the  anxious  heart-tested  young  soul. 

"Where  is  your  father?"  he  asked. 

"Dead  and  worse." 

' '  What  do  you  mean  by  worse  when  he  is  dead  ? ' ' 

"Well,"  said  the  child,  "if  he  were  dead  he  could 
help  us  now,  but  he  is  worse,"  she  cried,  her  little  frame 
shaking  with  sobs.  Looking  up  at  the  sturdy  Irishman, 
she  quieted,  forgetting  her  sobs  for  a  minute.  "Are  you 
a  daddy?"' 

"I  sure  am,"  he  said,  straightening  up,  "and  please 
God,  I  hope  I'll  never  be  a  worse  one,  rather  dead.  Sure, 
who  could  leave  a  nice  little  girl  like  you  ? ' ' 

"Well,"  she  said,  "they  all  do.  Hannah,  too,  has  left 
us  now." 

In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Delien,  breathless,  entered  the 
police  station,  and  telling  the  sergeant  of  her  loss  he  noted 
down  particulars,  then  looking  at  her  in  an  unsympathetic 
way  he  said  gruffly,  "What  made  you  keep  all  that  money 
and  jewelry  with  you  in  a  place  like  this?" 

' '  Well, ' '  said  the  Woman,  ' '  I  needed  it  today, ' '  point- 
ing a  few  blocks  down  in  the  direction  of  the  shop  she  in- 
tended to  open  that  day  for  which  she  had  paid  the  rent 
the  day  before. 

Trying  to  console  her,  he  said:     "There  are  a  lot  of 


84  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Greeks  living  around  here  and  ye  want  to  be  careful. 
There  is  the  post-office,  why  didn  't  ye  put  it  there  ? ' '  The 
Woman  recalled  a  Postal  Money  Order  for  a  hundred 
and  thirty-five  dollars,  and  she  told  the  sergeant  about  it. 
He  said:  "That's  safe  at  least.  Go  right  over  and  tell 
them.  Perhaps  we'll  land  them  with  that." 

After  giving  the  post-office  authorities  an  account  of 
her  loss,  she  was  told  it  would  take  a  little  time,  and  then 
realizing  her  hopelessness  she  stretched  out  her  arms  again 
like  on  the  cross  and  said,  "I  have  not  a  penny  left,"  and 
the  gentleman  assured  her  of  attending  to  it  at  once.  She 
went  back  crossing  Third  Avenue.  The  elevated  road 
above  and  the  noise  of  the  traffic  on  the  cobblestones 
seemed  too  much  for  the  Woman  and  she  swayed  as  she 
crossed.  A  pedestrian  saw  her  fall  and  grabbed  her  just 
in  time,  saving  her  from  the  wheels  of  a  car.  He  led  her 
toward  the  corner  where  Ronile  came  running  anxiously, 
supporting  the  staggering  form,  taking  long  steps  to  keep 
up  the  gait.  The  gentleman  was  a  detective  who  had  fol- 
lowed the  Woman  looking  for  a  clue.  He  asked  her  where 
the  place  was  that  she  had  rented.  The  address  was  in  the 
stolen  purse. 

Then  he  asked  her  if  she  would  recognize  it  if  she  saw 
it,  but  the  woman  was  dazed,  her  eyes  were  far  away  and 
she  did  not  answer.  ''You'd  better  lie  down;  I'll  be  back 
in  a  little  while;  you  will  feel  better.  In  the  meantime, 
we  may  get  the  thief  on  the  money  order. ' ' 

Two  hours  had  elapsed  when  he  returned.  The  Woman 
sat  in  the  same  position.  Ronile  was  eating  an  orange  out 
of  the  basket  of  fruit  from  Chicago.  When  the  detective 
returned  he  asked  if  they  had  had  breakfast  and  Ronile 
shook  her  head  in  a  meaning  way  that  they  and  breakfast 
did  not  belong  together. 

"We  have  no  money,"  she  said.  He  turned  to  the 
Woman  and  asked  if  she  had  paid  anything  on  the  rent. 

"Yes,  one  month,"  she  said. 

"Well,"  he  proceeded,  "that's  fine,  we  will  get  that 
at  once.  Come,  kiddie,  get  your  mother's  hat.  We'll  get 
some  money." 

Ronile  got  the  hat  and  slipping  the  elastic  of  her  own 


WITH  PATE  ALONE  85 

hat  under  her  chin  she  stood  ready  to  go.  Taking  her 
mother  by  the  arm,  she  helped  her.  Then  they  walked  along 
Lexington  Avenue,  toward  their  intended  future  home.  On 
the  corner  of  43rd  Street  Ronile  stopped  and  looking  past 
the  rear  of  the  houses  she  cried,  "There  it  is  with  the 
trees  in  the  back  yard ! "  A  moment  later  the  three  climbed 
the  steps  to  get  back  the  one  month 's  rent  of  their  intended 
future  home.  The  detective  suggested  they  had  better  eat 
something,  and  pointing  to  Ronile  he  said :  "A  nice  little 
kiddie  like  that  needs  you.  No  use  giving  up.  We  may 
land  them  tonight  yet." 

The  Woman  had  a  lump  in  her  throat ;  she  felt  that  no 
food  would  go  down.  There  was  an  empty  feeling;  a 
barren  existence;  some  cruel  hand  had  pulled  out  all  the 
plants  that  surrounded  her;  those  sprouts  called  deeds. 
Giving  her  encouragement  each  day  they  made  sunshine 
linger  longer  and  held  in  their  tiny  cups  the  tears  she  wept 
when  sorrow  came  to  visit. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

ON  THE  ROAD  OF  GOOD  DEEDS 

"Faith  in  fate,"  she  thought.  "Oh,  cruel  companion, 
Mr.  Fate,  you  are  the  only  one  that  directs  our  lives  now 
for  faith  has  left  me."  Ronile  went  to  the  door  with  the 
detective,  then  she  timidly  asked  her  mother  for  something 
to  eat.  Mechanically  the  Woman  opened  the  handkerchief 
she  held  with  the  money  rolled  in  it.  She  told  Ronile  to  get 
what  she  wanted  at  the  store.  A  minute  later,  a  little 
figure  was  running  across  the  street,  her  little  handker- 
chief tied  around  the  silver  coin. 

She  looked  around  suspiciously  as  if  in  fear  of  having 
someone  take  it  from  her.  Entering  the  store,  she  just 
glanced  around,  then  going  to  the  clerk  she  held  up  the 
coin,  saying,  "What  can  I  get  for  this?" 

' '  Well, ' '  said  the  grocer,  ' '  what  do  you  want  ? ' ' 

"Oh,  I  want  so  many  things.  My  mother  needs  ever 
so  many, ' '  and  looking  sadly  down  at  the  fifty-cent  piece  she 
realized  that  not  much  could  be  gotten,  so  she  asked  for  a 
bottle  of  milk  and  a  box  of  crackers. 

After  the  storekeeper  gave  her  back  the  change,  she 
sized  it  up  and  jumped  saying  as  she  went  out:  "Oh, 
goody !  I  have  lots  of  money  left. ' ' 

As  she  entered  the  room  she  wanted  to  hand  the  change 
to  her  mother,  but  seeing  her  resting  her  head  on  the  table 
she  laid  it  carefully  beside  her  and  went  to  eat  some  crackers 
and  milk.  After  a  long  time  she  thought,  "Mother  must 
eat  something,"  and  poured  out  a  glass  for  her,  but  there 
was  no  response.  She  sighed  and  sipped  a  little  herself, 
then  put  it  away.  With  her  hands  clasped,  her  little  feet 
crossed,  she  sat  a  long  time  watching  the  crushed  form 
before  her,  wondering  why  Hannah  did  not  come,  looking 
at  the  door,  trying  to  think  strongly,  bending  her  head 
forward  and  setting  her  jaws  firmly,  but  no  Hannah 
came. 

She  touched  her  mother  gently,  stealing  her  arm  around 
the  form,  saying :  ' '  Dear,  don 't  be  so  still !  I  don 't  want  the 


ON  THE  ROAD  OF  GOOD  DEEDS      87 

bracelet  any  more ! "  No  response,  not  even  a  breath.  She 
wanted  to  open  the  trunk  that  had  arrived  in  the  meantime 
but  the  key  was  in  the  stolen  bag.  She  sat  down,  crossing 
her  little  arms  over  her  chest,  trying  to  think  out  a  way  to 
get  a  key.  She  wanted  to  go  to  the  corner  and  ask  the 
big  policeman  who  wanted  to  be  dead  rather  than  worse, 
but  looking  at  her  mother  she  felt  it  unwise  to  leave  her. 

Then  she  took  the  fruit  basket ;  there  she  had  a  pencil 
and  pad  the  uncle  in  Chicago  gave  her  as  he  handed  her 
the  basket,  to  write  him  a  letter.  She  knew  without  a 
stamp  and  envelope  it  would  not  reach  him,  so  she  thought 
of  everybody  but  they  all  needed  a  stamp.  With  a  lost 
expression,  she  gazed  out  of  the  window  into  a  gray  yard. 
There  were  no  stars,  or  sun  or  moon  to  appeal  to.  She 
thought:  "How  can  I  reach  God?  Mother  says  He  is  every- 
where, but  I  don 't  know  if  He  would  like  to  live  here  where 
the  birds  don't  sing.  But  everywhere  is  here,  too,"  she 
philosophized.  "I  will  just  write  Him  a  letter;  if  every- 
body has  left  us,  maybe  He  won't." 

She  recalled  her  mother's  answer  to  her  remark  at 
Christmas  time:  "Why  did  not  God  put  Jesus  in  a  nice 
bed,  when  He  owns  everything,  instead  of  a  manger  and 
stable?"  She  wished  that  God  would  put  her  in  a  stable 
now,  there  are  at  least  animals  that  will  lick  your  hand,  and 
holding  her  palm  up  she  stared  at  it  sadly.  Then  she 
looked  around  the  room  again  recalling  the  mother's  an- 
swer that  God  dwells  more  in  humble  quarters  than  in 
palaces,  otherwise  He  would  not  have  sent  His  beloved 
Son  to  a  stable.  She  recalled  a  remark  from  one  owner  as 
they  looked  for  a  room  saying  the  neighborhood  was  now  a 
regular  Jerusalem,  and  clasping  her  hands  in  joy  she 
thought,  "Well,  Christ  was  crucified  in  Jerusalem,  and 
mother,  too,  said,  'My  crucifixion !'  Oh,  then  God  is  near," 
she  said,  "for  He  was  with  Christ  when  He  died,  and  an 
angel  brought  Him  the  cup  to  drink  from.  Oh,  dear  angels, 
please  bring  my  mother  a  cup  of  something  to  let  her 
speak  to  me!"  Big  tears  were  rolling  down  her  pale 
cheeks  as  she  sat  alone,  appealing  for  help. 

She  took  the  pencil  and  wrote  many  little  notes.  On 
one  she  wrote,  "Dear  God,  please  come  in,"  and  wetting  the 


88  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

note  with  her  tongue,  she  pasted  it  on  the  door.  On  another 
she  drew  a  little  bunch  of  forget-me-nots,  then  a  little  girl 
sitting  on  a  chair.  Underneath  she  wrote,  "Dear  angels, 
forget  me  not,"  which  she  pasted  on  the  window.  Then 
she  drew  her  mother  lying  with  her  head  on  the  table; 
above  it  she  made  an  eye  and  underneath  she  wrote,  ' '  Dear 
Jesus,  maybe  my  mother  has  no  cross  but  she  got  cruci- 
fied, too;  she  fell  under  it;  does  the  eye  of  God  see  her?" 
That  she  laid  on  the  table.  Then  she  waited  a  while  for 
some  Angel  or  Jesus,  perhaps  God  Himself,  to  come.  It 
was  very  warm  and  poor  Ronile  became  drowsy  waiting 
for  an  answer  to  her  letters.  She  lay  down  on  the  bed 
and  fell  asleep. 

After  the  mother  had  given  Ronile  the  money,  she 
hopelessly  laid  her  head  on  the  table  in  despair.  She  felt 
a  swaying  so  gentle  it  lifted  her  up.  Before  her  stood  a 
man  with  a  long  white  robe  and  beard.  There  were  many 
forms  attending  to  his  direction.  Lining  up  on  both  sides 
each  had  a  banner  across  his  chest  with  a  picture,  the 
Woman  recalled,  of  familiar  scenes.  She  asked,  as  she 
ascended,  "What  does  this  mean?"  The  angels  sang, 
"Adeste  Fideles." 

She  beheld  one  angel  whose  banner  showed  the  deed  of 
equality,  another  the  deed  of  patience.  Then  one  approached 
with  a  glittering  garment  made  of  tears ;  each  seemed  as  he 
drew  nearer  to  grow  larger  like  a  crystal.  It  was  indeed 
a  review  of  deeds  that  this  great  form  of  sorrow,  turned  to 
joy,  exhibited.  Every  kind  deed  the  Woman  ever  per- 
formed became  manifest  in  that  garment  of  crystal.  An- 
other had  a  light  around  his  head.  The  rays  formed  golden 
letters,  shooting  out  through  the  universe.  As  the  letters 
passed  her  eyes  the  Woman  read:  "Good  thought  is  a 
purifying  element  that  crystallizes  the  cloudy  depressing 
atmosphere.  It  removes  the  spider-web  of  lies  from  the 
eyes  of  your  opponents,  breaks  the  briars  and  thorns  bad 
intention  has  planted ;  will  remove  the  tight,  clinging 
hands  of  selfishness,  thus  finding  the  spirit  of  the  souls 
and  will  leave  a  kernel  to  sprout  for  eventual  uplif tment. ' ' 
She  beheld  the  uncountable  forms,  each  lining  up,  making 
a  wonderful  road  leading  into  endless  space. 


Ronil 


"They   were  the   happy  times  in   Reno,  when   Pansy  Wilton  would   give 
her  pet.     Often  they  would  take  a  trip  to  the  desert."  —  Page  38. 


ON  THE  ROAD  OF  GOOD  DEEDS      89 

The  further  they  came  the  more  glorious  it  looked. 
Her  journey  sometimes  came  to  a  standstill ;  she  felt  drawn 
and  slipped  back  at  times.  A  look  from  the  eyes  of  her 
escorts  would  draw  her  up  again.  She  asked  the  great 
spirit  beside  her  to  explain  why  she  always  slipped.  He 
turned  her  around  and  she  beheld  the  great  road  that  led 
to  herself  in  flesh  by  the  table.  She  saw  Ronile  shaking  her 
body  in  flesh,  thus  making  her  soul  slip.  There  was  nothing 
spoken ;  they  seemed  to  talk  through  their  eyes  and  noticing 
a  look  of  understanding  among  all,  she  beheld  a  beautiful 
form  with  a  garment  part  white,  blue,  pink  and  gold. 
As  she  came  closer  the  garment  consisted  of  forget-me-nots. 
They  formed  into  eyes,  then  little  children's  faces,  beam- 
ing with  joy.  It  was  mercy  who  was  descending  to  the 
room  and  gently  picked  up  Ronile  and  put  her  to  bed. 
Remaining  by  the  bedside,  she  stroked  the  child's  head, 
as  the  Woman  drawn  magnetically,  turned  back  to  pro- 
ceed on  the  journey.  They  came  to  a  great  hall.  Its  pillars 
were  like  alabaster.  She  beheld  the  Scripture  above  read- 
ing, "Hope,  Thy  Kingdom  Come." 

They  placed  her  in  a  wonderful  chair  made  in  the  form 
of  a  shell.  It  was  made  from  Mother  of  Pearl,  originally 
tears,  but  hardened  into  an  eternal  seat.  In  her  happiness 
she  tried  to  touch  the  arms  but  they  seemed  transparent. 
She  clasped  her  hands  but  they  went  through  each  other. 
There  was  not  a  care.  Inexpressible  joy  prevailed  over 
her  as  she  sat  in  the  chair  on  a  platform  of  sacrifice.  That 
platform  had  many  steps;  she  again  beheld  her  form  far 
away  lying  on  the  table.  Alas,  there  came  a  feeling  like 
a  breath  that  drew  her  back.  She  beheld  two  wings,  part 
flesh  and  part  spirit,  moving  slowly. 

"My  lungs,"  she  thought.  A  slow  tap,  like  a  beat  mak- 
ing her  descend  a  step  lower  with  each  throbbing  call  of 
the  heart.  The  call  was  sudden;  she  had  no  time  to  say 
farewell  and  to  thank  those  great  guides  who  showed  her 
the  road  of  good  deeds.  What  a  contrast  it  was  as  she 
felt  the  heavy  weight  of  the  tired  body !  She  lifted  up  her 
head  and  looked  around.  Before  her  lay  the  letter  to 
Jesus  with  the  eye  above.  She  read  the  line  and  smiled 


90  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

sacredly,  then  once  more  tried  to  make  the  trip  by  way 
of  recollection. 

She  stood  up,  raising  her  arms  above  her  head,  palms 
upward,  saying  in  a  vibrating,  sacred  tone :  "  I  will  be  Thy 
water-bearer,  Great  Host  of  all  the  universe.  Thou  hast 
given  me  the  strength  to  carry  Thy  lost  sheep  back  to  the 
fold.  Oh,  Great  King,  Master  in  Mercy,  I  grieve  not  for 
the  gold  after  beholding  'Thy  Kingdom  Come.'  All  the 
precious  stones  on  this  earth  cannot  form  the  size  of  the 
key  to  fit  that  jewel  gate  of  hope!  From  now  on  I  will 
decorate  myself  with  the  light  of  thy  stars  and  the  gold 
of  thy  sun,  the  silver  of  thy  moon.  I  will  spend  my  time 
in  seeking  thy  lost  children,  to  bring  them  nearer  to  Thee. 
Oh,  Father,  let  me  humbly  serve  at  the  fountain  of  despair 
to  meet  those  looking  for  strength. ' ' 

Going  toward  the  window  she  looked  up ;  no  sky  was 
visible;  a  gray  wall  met  her  gaze.  Yet  there  was  a  note 
pasted  there,  with  an  appeal  to  the  angels  and  forget-me- 
nots.  No  wonder  Mercy  was  by  the  bedside.  Thus  going 
toward  the  sleeping  child  she  kissed  her  tenderly. 

Ronile  woke  up,  and  seeing  her  mother  smiling  she 
threw  her  arms  about  the  changed  form  and  cried  in  glee : 
"Oh,  mama  dear!  I  am  so  glad  God  answered  my  letter. 
See !  I  put  His  eye  on  the  note  and  that  is  why  He  saw  it, 
and  brought  you  back  to  me,  mother.  Oh,"  she  went  on, 
"I  had  a  dream.  Grandma  was  here,"  and  smacking  her 
lips  she  seemed  to  still  relish  the  goodies  the  fairies  had 
given  her  in  the  dream.  "Mother,"  she  said,  "I  had  the 
cutest  little  golden  cup,  but  I  could  not  feel  it.  I — I," 
stammered  the  child,  ' '  asked  the  angels  to  bring  you  a  cup 
of  something  and  they  brought  me  some,  too.  Oh,  and  the 
cookies!  I  had  such  wonderful  ones  with  nuts  on  them. 
Mother,  if  ever  we  have  a  stove  with  an  oven,  I  am  going  to 
put  a  note  on  the  window  for  the  fairy  baker  to  give  you 
the  recipe." 

"Yes,  dear,"  said  the  mother,  "we  are  well  provided 
for  God  is  everywhere ;  we  never  felt  Him  closer  than  now. ' ' 

To  herself  she  said,  "And  I  had  accused  Him  of  for- 
getting me.  What  a  wonderful  sensation  to  leave  the  body 
and  travel  that  road  of  good  deeds,  lined  up  with  the 


91 

thankful  faces.  That  is  the  wealth  that  shines  through 
the  eyes  and  the  good  on  earth  will  know  my  sign  of 
good  intention  at  all  times.  Oh,  Divine  Father,  Thou 
hast  shown  me  my  station  as  a  transmitter  between  heaven 
and  earth  and  I  pledge  myself  faithful  to  serve  at  that 
altar  of  good  deeds  and  will  lead  your  breath  in  to  hungry 
souls.  Thou  hast  released  me  of  the  last  bit  of  selfishness, 
therefore,  I  am  Thy  servant;  Thy  bidding  shall  be  my 
pleasure  not  command,  for  Thou  dost  not  command  in  Thy 
great  mercy.  Free  will  was  installed  in  our  being  but, 
oh,  Lord,  we  forget  the  One  that  gave  us  all.  For  our 
weakness  we  blame  Thee,  oh,  Father.  For  every  error 
we  commit  in  selfishness  we  reproach  Thee.  If  Thou  re- 
lievest  a  sufferer  and  callest  him  home  to  the  land  of  Thy 
Kingdom,  'Spirit  repose,'  we  weep  and  call  Thee  unjust; 
just  because  Thou  knowest  best  and  lovest  best  in  relieving 
pain  and  sorrow.  "We  kill  the  birds  that  praise  Thee  and 
break  the  flowers  that  grace  Thee,  and  kill  Thy  children 
that  serve  Thee. 

"With  all  that  on  our  record  staring  in  our  face 
at  all  times,  we  blindly  go  to  Thine  house,  to  commune  with 
Thee,  exhibiting  a  devoted  countenance  and  a  black  heart. 
Let  me  be  one  that  knows  Thy  power,  to  know  the  meaning 
of  the  thunder  and  lightning  as  well  as  sunshine,  rain  and 
dew.  Let  me  in  truth  abide ;  my  crucifixion  through  selfish- 
ness is  overcome.  Thy  force  is  omnipotent.  Oh,  God,  Thy 
will  is  great.  If  I  can  be  one  with  Thee,  my  Father,  Thy 
breath  will  rest  within  my  flesh.  Then  I  can  find  the 
strength  to  help  mankind  and  certainly  they  with  me  will 
reach  the  deific  life.  All  must  in  time  come  back  to  Thee. 
As  the  rain  forms  into  mist  it  rises  and  returns  again  in 
single  dewdrops  through  Thy  mighty  law  as  one  develop- 
ing into  the  other. 

"Each  one  must  find  a  way  that  leads  to  redemption. 
The  masses  do  not  heed  the  lesson  of  Thy  Son,  our  Master, 
but  they  know  Him  everywhere.  He  manipulates  through 
every  channel,  directing  from  the  River  of  Life.  They 
are  aware  of  His  presence.  Alas,  they  too  are  sure  of  His 
mercy  and  regard  Him  not  as  He  stands  at  the  door  and 
knocks !  Let  us  have  faith  in  one  another  to  become  more 


92  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

perfect  in  helping  each  other,  for  whatever  we  have  done 
amiss  we  must  perform  again  and  again  till  all  selfishness  is 
overcome. 

"There  is  no  darkness  where  truth  prevails.  At  night 
Thy  stars  gleam  through  the  darkness.  Thou  knowest 
best  to  give  the  body  rest,  while  the  soul  proceeds  to 
explore  and  serve  and  then  returns  with  encouragement 
and  we  call  that  dreaming.  If  through  abuse  we  cripple 
that  great  mechanism  of  nerve  and  blood  fuse  we  regard 
not  Thy  law  of  nature  but  take  to  the  artificial  stimulant 
that  sets  a  spark  for  a  little  while,  only  to  give  it  a  more 
deadly  blow  in  the  event  and  render  us  to  darker  sur- 
roundings. 

"Thy  love  is  so  great  it  manifests  itself  the  same 
through  every  being  regardless  of  color  or  creed.  I  know 
Thou  wilt  not  give  us  a  stone  when  we  ask  for  bread,  there- 
fore I  will  put  myself  in  Thy  care.  Lead  Thou  me  on — " 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

ON  WITH  THE  LIGHT  THAT  SHINES 
FOR  TOMOEEOW 

It  was  indeed  a  holy  hour  and  Ronile  sat  listening 
intently  to  every  word  her  mother  spoke,  her  hands  clasped. 
However,  she  was  glad  when  her  mother  was  through.  A 
desire  for  fresh  air  seemed  to  manifest  itself  strongly  in 
Ronile.  She  begged  her  mother  to  take  her  out.  Twenty- 
four  hours  had  passed  since  the  Woman  ate  her  last  meal 
and  she  began  to  feel  a  strong  desire  for  food.  They  went 
to  a  restaurant  and  ate  heartily.  She  saw  the  blue  rings 
around  Ronile 's  eyes  and  realized  that  we  cannot  live  with- 
out food  and  she  begged  Ronile  to  eat.  Looking  quite 
happy  they  found  a  locksmith  who  fitted  the  necessary 
keys;  then  the  "Woman  told  Ronile  of  the  picnic,  the  next 
day,  at  Kenwood,  New  Jersey.  She  knew  it  would  take 
perhaps  a  week  to  get  the  money  from  the  post-office. 

"But,  mother!"  said  Ronile,  "suppose  the  detective 
comes  with  the  bag?"  And  the  mother  smiled  sadly, 
shaking  her  head. 

"I  am  afraid  we  shall  never  see  it  again,  as  I  feel  it 
beyond  my  reach.  In  fact  it  seems  a  long  ways  from  here 
now  and  we  have  no  money  to  follow.  But,"  she  said, 
"we  are  going  to  the  country  where  you  will  see  Hazel 
and  Ethel." 

"And  perhaps,  old  Victor,  our  dog,  which  we  gave  the 
gardener!"  cried  Ronile  in  delight. 

That  night  they  slept  better  than  they  had  for  a  long 
time ;  a  sense  of  relief  seemed  to  possess  the  "Woman  as  she 
thought  of  Hannah.  Many  nights  she  had  lain  awake  wor- 
rying about  the  girl — just  a  weed  that  would  not  bear 
good  fruit  no  matter  where  she  was  transplanted.  She 
cuddled  closer  to  Ronile  and  clasping  their  hands  in  each 
other  they  slept  sweetly  and  soundly. 

They  awoke  early,  not  noticing  the  dark  wall.  They 
were  out  almost  with  the  sunrise,  had  some  breakfast  and 
then  went  to  the  elevated  station.  It  was  cool  as  they  rode 
down  Third  Avenue.  Ronile  eagerly  watched  the  sights. 


94  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

At  times  she  forgot  the  men  on  the  train  and  cried  out : 
' '  Oh,  mother,  look,  there 's  a  baby  asleep  on  the  fire  escape. 
Poor  baby,  I  wish  I  could  take  you  to  Kenwood  to  see  the 
green  lawns,  the  trees  and  the  flowers."  At  the  Battery 
they  took  the  boat  to  Staten  Island.  "It  was  cheaper," 
thought  the  Woman.  There  they  took  the  car  to  the  little 
ferry  taking  them  to  Elizabethport.  Ronile  did  not  mind 
the  continuous  change  of  cars  and  after  a  long  ride  they 
arrived  at  Kenwood.  No  one  knew  that  they  had  returned 
and  there  were  many  surprised  faces  as  they  saw  Ronile 
and  her  mother  on  the  car.  There  was  Ebenezer,  the  con- 
ductor, still  on  the  job.  He  marveled  at  Ronile 's  size, 
smiling  all  over  as  he  told  her  how  a  few  years  ago  he 
had  tried  to  buy  her  dogs,  and  gave  her  two  cents ;  how 
she  agreed  on  the  price  and  after  she  had  gone  a  block 
with  the  money  called  the  dogs,  and  running  back  full 
speed  returned  the  two  cents.  "Them  was  the  happy 
times,  all  right,"  he  went  on,  as  the  car  was  coming  to 
their  destination. 

The  Woman's  dear  old  friend,  Mrs.  Hilbert,  was  sweep- 
ing the  front  steps  as  they  walked  along.  She  steadied  her 
glasses  as  if  she  wanted  to  see  more  clearly.  There  was 
not  much  time  to  ponder,  for  a  minute  later  tears  were 
running  down  the  cheeks  of  both  women.  The  good  friend 
wiped  her  eyes  with  the  corner  of  her  apron  and  leading 
the  Woman  up  the  steps  she  reproached  her  for  not  letting 
her  know  she  was  coming. 

' '  Well, ' '  said  Mrs.  Delien,  ' '  a  sad  occurrence  arranged 
matters  so  quickly  that  we  decided  at  the  last  minute  to 
come."  It  was  getting  quite  warm  so  they  sat  in  the  cool 
living  room  with  a  gentle  breeze  blowing  past  the  Woman 
that  thrilled  her  like  a  "dear  one  welcoming  her  home," 
she  said. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert,  "we  certainly  missed  you," 
and  getting  up  she  exclaimed,  "You  must  be  hungry."  A 
minute  later  a  noise  was  heard  coming  from  the  chicken 
house,  and  coming  back  she  held  some  fresh  eggs  in  her 
hand,  which  she  prepared  in  a  motherly  way.  She  called 
for  Ruth,  the  daughter,  to  get  a  fresh  glass  of  jelly  out  of 
the  cellar. 


LIGHT  THAT  SHINES  FOR  TOMORROW        95 

"Oh,  for  what?"  came  the  answer  from  the  upper 
floor.  "There  is  some  down  there." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert,  "just  come  down  and  see 
whom  I  want  it  for."  Ruth  grumbled  about  the  darn  old 
beggars,  and  that  she  could  never  stay  at  anything,  but  when 
she  beheld  the  Woman  who  had  taught  her  the  first  stitch 
of  embroidery,  she  stopped  short,  her  mouth  wide  open, 
more  petrified  than  anything  else.  Ronile  ran  over  and 
hugged  her,  they  kissed  her  numbness  away  and  Ruth  was 
flying  down  the  cellar  steps  bringing  even  dill  pickles  in 
spite  of  the  early  morning  hour. 

"My,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert,  "what  a  good  thing  you 
came.  In  another  day  I  would  be  in  Pennsylvania  visiting 
the  folks." 

"Yes,"  said  Ruth,  "just  think,  they  are  going  to  leave 
me  here  all  alone,  all  on  account  of  the  darned  old  chickens 
and  miserable  old  garden." 

"Ruth  dear,"  said  the  Woman,  as  she  accepted  her 
plate  with  crisp  bacon  and  a  lovely  fried  egg  on  it,  "if  I 
could  take  care  of  a  garden  and  the  dear  chickens  that  give 
you  these  lovely  eggs,  I  would  be  the  happiest  woman  on 
earth." 

"What!"  said  Ruth.  "When  I  look  at  the  cards  you 
sent  me  from  California,  with  the  Golden  Gate  Park  and  all, 
why  I  get  so  mad  at  mother  for  not  letting  me  go  out  into 
the  world." 

"But,  my  dear,"  interrupted  the  Woman,  "you  are 
too  young  to  understand.  Try  to  keep  your  feet  under  your 
mother's  table  as  long  as  you  can." 

Then  the  Woman  told  in  a  condensed  way  of  the 
robbery. 

"Oh,  the  mean  thing!"  cried  Ruth.  "If  I  ever  get 
my  hands  on  that  Hannah  I'll  snatch  her  baldheaded.  To 
think  of  your  bringing  her  all  that  way  and  now  see.  If 
you  had  taken  me  I  sure  would  stick  around  as  long  as 
you  wanted  me. ' ' 

"Oh,  keep  still,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Hilbert,  and  turn- 
ing to  the  Woman  she  looked  worried  and  sad,  saying, 
' '  Will  your  troubles  ever  end  ? ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  with  a  sad  expression,  "they 


96  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

are  ended."  Holding  up  her  empty  hands  she  continued, 
' '  There  is  nothing  left  to  worry  about. ' ' 

"Well,"  echoed  Ruth,  "Mrs.  Job,  stay  with  us.  Oh, 
gee,  ma,  I  wouldn't  want  to  go  to  Pennsylvania  if  that 
poor  Job  would  stay  with  me." 

A  light  came  into  Mrs.  Hilbert 's  eyes  and  looking 
beseechingly  at  the  Woman,  she  said:  "Yes,  that's  a  good 
idea.  Stay  here  and  rest  while  I  am  away;  then  I  will 
feel  at  ease, ' '  and  pointing  to  Ruth,  she  said :  "I  could  not 
feel  quite  easy,  knowing  that  she  was  loose;  she  is  getting 
wilder  every  day,  as  she  grows  older.  Just  look,  there  is 
hardly  any  more  hair  on  her  head;  all  singed  off.  She 
is  a  fussing  all  day  on  that  little  wig  of  hers. ' ' 

"Well,"  sneered  Ruth,  "I  can't  help  it,  that  I  haven't 
a  horse 's  tail  instead  of  a  wig ! ' ' 

"Oh,  keep  quiet,"  said  the  mother.  "It  surely  would 
do  Ruth  good  to  have  some  one  around  that  is  gentle." 

"All  right,  ma,  I'll  make  a  good  Aunt  Polly  some 
day." 

The  Woman  laughed  heartily.  It  was  quite  a  con- 
trast, this  harmless  argument,  to  the  grim  face  of  the  out- 
side world.  Ronile  looked  lovingly  at  Mrs.  Hilbert  as  she 
ate  the  jelly  the  good  hostess  put  on  her  plate.  The  poor 
child  was  overcome  with  gratitude.  She  kissed  the  hand 
of  the  dear  woman  as  it  passed  her  face  to  give  her  more. 

Mrs.  Hilbert 's  heart  went  out  to  the  poor  little  girl 
from  that  cruel,  big,  wide  world,  and  laying  her  hand  on 
Ronile 's  shoulder,  she  returned  the  kiss,  even  on  the  jelly 
mouth,  and  remarked  to  Ruth,  "See  how  Ronile  appreciates 
even  a  little  jelly;  it  wouldn't  hurt  you  to  get  a  taste  of 
the  outside  world,  you  wouldn't  get  so  fresh." 

"Well,  ma,"  replied  Ruth,  "I  will  be  your  little  poodle 
for  a  while  yet,  and  if  it  makes  you  happy  if  I  kiss  your 
hand  for  something,  why  I'll  (here  she  kissed  the  palm 
of  her  hand  and  blew  it  over  to  her  mother)  kiss  you  all 
day  long." 

"Oh,  stop  your  nonsense,"  said  the  mother  half 
amused.  "There  is  no  cure  for  the  like  o'  her,"  she  went 
on. 

"Well,"  said  the  Woman,  "I  am  mighty  glad  Ruth 


LIGHT  THAT  SHINES  FOR  TOMORROW       97 

is  just  as  she  is,  otherwise  she  would  not  be  natural.  The 
world  needs  these  types  more  than  any  other,"  she  con- 
tinued. "They  are  the  spice  of  life."  She  took  Ruth  into 
her  arms  and  kissed  her  healthy  red  cheeks  on  each  side. 
This  was  a  sign  of  devotion  from  the  Woman. 

Ronile  remarked,  "Ruth,  if  mother  kisses  you  like 
that  she  loves  you;  I  know,  for  when  I  am  very  good  she 
does  it  to  me.  And  when  I  am  really,  truly  good  she  kisses 
me  four  times." 

"Oh!"  cried  Ruth,  "that's  a  meal,  four  times." 

"No,"  said  Ronile,-  "that  is  happiness.  I  feel  good 
after  four  kisses.  One  on  the  forehead  means  a  blessing, 
one  on  each  cheek  means  attention  on  all  sides,  one  on  the 
chin  means  love." 

Ruth  pulled  in  her  lips  tight,  frowned  a  little,  then 
blurted  out:  "But  where  does  the  mouth  come  in?  I 
thought  love  meant  a  kiss  on  the  mouth ! ' ' 

"It  is  not  healthy,"  interrupted  the  Woman. 

"Well,"  said  Ruth,  mischievously,  "you  don't  believe 
in  mixing  the  breeds." 

"What  breeds?"  asked  the  Woman,  amused. 

"Germs,"  answered  Ruth  emphatically. 

"Exactly,  one  must  be  careful." 

"Now,"  said  Ruth,  teasingly,  "do  you  mean  to  tell 
me  that  you  never  kissed  him  (meaning  Ronile 's  father, 
then  pointing  to  her  mouth)  on  the — ?"  She  saw  the 
Woman  turn  pale;  her  good  little  heart  was  sorry  that 
she  had  made  such  a  thoughtless  remark,  yet  a  very  sore 
spot  was  touched  with  her  friend. 

Quick-witted,  as  she  was,  it  was  not  hard  for  her  to 
change  the  subject,  so  she  grabbed  the  Woman  around 
the  neck  and  said  lovingly,  "Slap  me  on  the  mouth." 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert,  "that  loose  tongue  of  hers 
needs  slapping ;  she  never  thinks  of  what  she  says. ' ' 

"Well,"  said  Ruth,  "the  feller  that'll  make  love  to  me 
will  have  to  rub  noses  to  show  his  affection,  if  kissing  is 
dangerous. ' ' 

"His  eyes  will  tell  you,  Ruth  dear.  Cupid  is  a  stub- 
born little  fellow;  he  finds  his  way  to  impress  his  sincerity 
at  all  times." 


98  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

There  was  a  rattle  of  wheels  outside;  Ronile  begged 
permission  to  leave.  Then  running  to  the  bay  window  and 
looking  out,  she  cried,  ' '  Oh,  there  is  Austin ;  he  has  a  wheel- 
barrow and  a  soap-box  wagon."  She  looked  beseechingly 
at  her  mother,  who  seemed  to  understand  her  desire.  The 
Woman  looked  out  and  greeted  Austin,  and  told  Ronile  to 
join  him.  Ronile  tried  to  shake  hands  with  her  childhood 
companion.  He,  however,  had  no  time  to  shake  hands,  there 
was  too  much  to  demonstrate.  He  turned  somersaults ;  then 
ran  the  wheel-barrow  into  his  auto-car,  as  he  called  it, 
breaking  off  the  fly-wheel  in  the  front  that  he  had  patiently 
made  out  of  a  cigar  box.  Ronile  stood  watching,  her  hands 
clasped  behind  her.  She  became  alarmed  as  he  in  his  excite- 
ment broke  some  of  his  self-manufactured  toys.  There 
was  a  tent  all  painted  up  with  Indian  emblems.  A  big 
chief  was  at  the  front. 

Austin  told  Ronile  all  the  particulars,  but  sighed,  "Ma 
wouldn't  buy  me  an  Indian  suit,  an'  how  can  we  play  if 
we  don't  look  like  'em?" 

"Well,"  said  Ronile,  "I  always  pray  and  God  gives 
me  just  what  I  need. ' '  Grabbing  him  by  the  arm  she  told 
in  a  wistful  way  that  if  both  prayed  God  surely  would  hear. 
She  sized  up  the  tent,  then  an  idea  came  to  her.  Making 
Austin  her  confidant,  she  advised  him  to  paint  the  eye 
of  God  on  it. 

"How  can  I?"  pouted  Austin.  "I  never  saw  Him, 
nor  even  His  eye." 

Ronile  raised  herself  on  her  tiptoes,  then  she  stretched 
out  her  arms  saying,  "Why,  He  is  everywhere  and  if  we 
paint  His  eye  He  must  look,  for  He  can't  help  seeing  His 
own  eye."  She  made  a  form  of  a  triangle  with  her  hands 
and  put  it  over  her  mouth.  "See,  like  that,"  she  said. 

He  gave  her  a  piece  of  charcoal,  and  Ronile  made  the 
shape  of  the  eye,  then  asked  him  for  a  piece  of  chalk, 
which  he  gave  her.  It  seemed  easy  to  Ronile,  for  in  a  few 
strokes  she  had  made  quite  a  good-shaped  eye. 

"See,  it's  easy,"  she  said. 

"Oh,  gee!"  said  Austin,  "that's  all  right  for  a  girl, 
but  you  couldn't  make  a  wheel  like  that  one,"  pointing  to 
the  discarded  wheel  that  once  belonged  to  his  baby  buggy. 


LIGHT  THAT  SHINES  FOR  TOMORROW        99 

"Well,"  said  Ronile,  ignoring  his  remark,  "we  want 
some  Indian  suits  and  I  know  God  will  help  us  get  them." 
She  gave  the  eye  on  the  tent  another  look;  then  gazed  up 
at  the  sky  smiling  familiarly  as  if  she  knew  God's  grace 
upon  her.  Then  Austin  helped  her  into  the  soap-box  auto- 
mobile, with  an  old  piece  of  tin  around  the  front  covering 
the  engine.  An  old  coat  hanger  was  fastened  across  with 
a  large  nail  to  give  it  room  to  move.  On  each  end  of  the 
hanger  was  a  piece  of  rope  to  steer  her,  as  he  described  the 
different  parts  to  his  guest.  ' '  Now  when  you  turn  this  way 
you  pull  this  rope,"  he  went  on. 

"I  know,"  said  Ronile,  "I  used  to  ride  Jill,  the  little 
horse,  that  belonged  to  Pansy  Wilton  in  Reno,  and  you  just 
had  to  do  the  same." 

This  was  a  novelty  in  sport  for  Ronile.  She,  however, 
realized  it  was  not  a  very  ladylike  thing  to  do,  so  she 
told  Austin  she  would  rather  keep  house,  and  let  him  do 
the  riding. 

The  Woman  watched  them,  seemingly  as  happy  as  they 
were.  She  too  looked  up  to  get  a  response. 

"If  I  only  had  the  money  I  would  buy  them  suits," 
she  sighed  as  she  walked  out  on  the  porch.  Mr.  Hilbert  was 
just  coming  home;  both  hands  outstretched  to  greet  her. 

"Well,  well,"  he  said,  "if  we  didn't  talk  about  you  a 
half  an  hour  ago.  You  remember  when  we  built  the  little 
town  hall  and  were  short  of  funds,  you  gave  us  one  hundred 
dollars,  without  asking  any  interest." 

"Oh,"  said  the  Woman,  "I  never  thought  of  that, 
for  I  don't  know  what  I  did  with  the  receipt." 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Hilbert,  "we  are  all  paid  up  but  you, 
and  we  wondered  where  to  find  you.  You  see  you  left  us 
so  quickly  that  time  and  I  did  not  want  to  mention  it  to — 
(pointing  down  to  a  familiar  place,  but  never  mentioning  a 
name).  I  got  the  money,"  he  said,  "and  was  going  to 
bring  it  to  the  bank  for  you. ' ' 

The  Woman  sighed  in  a  relieved  way,  saying,  "How 
wonderful,  Mr.  Hilbert,  I  do  need  it  badly  for  I  was 
robbed  of  eight  hundred  dollars  and  all  my  jewelry."  Mr. 
Hilbert  was  just  going  up  the  steps  but  stopped  short  as 


100  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

the  Woman  told  him  of  the  theft.  He  rested  his  hand  on 
his  knee  as  if  to  support  himself. 

He  thought  a  while,  then  asked  kindly,  "Got  any 
clue  ? ' '  Mrs.  Delien  shook  her  head  sadly. 

"Well,"  said  her  friend,  "don't  be  afraid,  little 
woman,  to  ask,  for  what 's  ours  is  yours.  Welcome  to  every- 
thing, eh,  ma?"  He  put  his  hat  on  the  rack,  then  sat  on 
the  porch,  getting  more  details  of  the  robbery. 

Cheerfully  the  Woman  said,  "On  the  whole,  Mr.  Hil- 
bert,  if  I  had  the  money  you  would  perhaps  not  have 
seen  us  for  some  time,  as  I  just  wanted  to  start  a  shop.  That 
would  have  kept  me  busy.  And  Ronile  needs  this  wonderful 
air  after  the  smallpox." 

"You  are  right,"  he  said,  "all  things  happen  for  the 
best."  Then  he  pulled  out  his  wallet  and  gave  her  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars." 

' '  But, ' '  said  the  Woman,  as  she  counted  the  sum,  ' '  you 
give  me  too  much." 

"No,"  said  he,  "only  five  per  cent  interest  makes  twen- 
ty-five dollars  in  five  years. ' ' 

"Is  it  that  long?"  asked  the  Woman. 

"Why  sure,  look  at  the  building  now;  it  needs  a  coat 
of  paint  again  badly,"  Mr.  Hilbert  replied. 

' '  I  hear  you  are  Mayor  here  now ;  I  congratulate  you. ' ' 

"Never  mind  about  myself,"  said  the  good  man.  "I 
want  to  know  all  about  you. ' '  And  he  went  on,  ' '  To  think 
we  are  going  to  Pennsylvania  in  the  morning." 

"We  will  have  plenty  of  time  to  talk,"  said  Mrs. 
Delien,  "but  having  this  money  I  would  like  to  return  to 
the  city  and  get  some  necessary  articles." 

' '  Well,  have  your  trunk  sent  out  here  for  the  summer, 
then  ma  can  take  a  long  vacation, ' '  said  Mr.  Hilbert. 

"I  will,"  replied  the  Woman,  a  warm  feeling  rising 
to  her  throat,  as  she  gratefully  looked  at  her  friends,  and 
said, ' '  God  surely  arranges  all  things  to  a  wonderful  advan- 
tage. A  home!"  she  said,  looking  around  admiringly, 
caressing  with  a  loving  glance  the  well-kept  grounds  and 
the  clean  house,  with  no  servants,  but  oh,  such  wonderful 
people.  She  clasped  her  hands  in  silent  prayer,  as  she 
went  to  get  her  hat  to  go  back  to  the  city. 


Ronile  remained,  having  a  splendid  time  with  Austin. 
How  she  enjoyed  the  big  piece  of  bread  and  jelly  on  the 
back  porch,  with  her  little  chum,  he  trying  to  take  a  deep 
bite  so  the  jelly  would  leave  a  rim  around  his  mouth — "a 
mustache,"  he  called  it.  Mr.  Hilbert  was  trying  out  his 
car  for  the  trip  through  the  mountains,  so  he  suggested 
taking  the  Woman,  thus  making  the  trip  easy  for  her,  to 
transfer  her  luggage. 

Just  as  Mrs.  Hilbert  was  setting  the  table  for  supper, 
they  tooted  up  the  street,  the  children  standing  on  both 
sides  of  the  running  board.  They  carried  the  heavy  satchels, 
but  Ronile  spied  a  large  box  containing  something  she  had 
never  seen,  she  thought,  and  looking  at  her  mother,  she 
begged  to  carry  the  box  in.  Austin,  too,  had  a  presenti- 
ment for  he  looked  at  Ronile  with  an  expectant  expression, 
as  they  hurriedly  brought  it  in.  The  Woman  said  they 
might  open  the  box.  One  could  see  the  pulse  beat  on 
Austin's  throat  from  excitement. 

' '  Chee, ' '  he  said, ' '  if  it  was  the  Indian  suit,  I  'd  jump, ' ' 
and  he  did.  The  chief's  headgear  was  on  the  top.  He 
put  it  on,  jumping  and  crying  like  an  Indian.  Ronile 
took  the  other,  then  both  ran  upstairs  and  pretty  soon 
came  back  introducing  themselves  as  Minnehaha  and  Hia- 
watha. A  war  dance  followed,  that  looked  more  like  the 
jungle,  Ruth  claimed. 

"Children  must  have  freedom,"  said  Mr.  Hilbert. 

"Really,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  "I  have  not  laughed  so 
much  in  a  year  as  I  have  today.  Believe  me,  real  joy  reigns 
here;  God  surely  loves  you." 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Hilbert,  "we  love  Him,  too,  and 
another  thing  we  leave  each  other  alone,  mind  our  own  busi- 
ness, that 's  why  God  has  no  trouble  with  us. ' ' 

"Very  good  logic,"  said  the  Woman.  "You  are  satis- 
fied ;  that  means  all. ' ' 

Mrs.  Hilbert  came  in  complaining  that  dinner  was 
getting  cold,  so  they  all  sat  down  to  enjoy  a  good  home 
dinner.  Afterwards  they  all  helped  to  clear  the  table ;  one 
washed,  the  other  dried  the  dishes,  and  another  put  them 
away.  Then  they  sat  on  the  porch  watching  the  sun  set. 

It  was  a  holy  hour  for  all.     The  Woman  felt  in  a 


102  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

shrine,  her  eyes  resting  over  the  hill  by  the  apple  orchard 
where  the  moon  was  slowly  coming  up.  A  sweet  smell 
of  mignonette  and  heliotrope  filled  the  air.  She  told  Mrs. 
Hilbert  how  well  she  kept  up  the  lovely  bush. 

"Well,"  said  the  hostess,  "the  mignonette  is  my 
mother's  favorite  flower,  and  the  heliotrope  I  like." 

"What  flower  do  you  like  best,  Mrs.  Job?"  asked 
Euth. 

"Stop  calling  her  that  horrid  name!  It's  all  right  for 
the  Bible,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert. 

"Well,"  said  Ruth,  "what  did  you  want  to  call  me 
Ruth  for?  You  certainly  did  not  look  for  that  in  Web- 
ster's Dictionary.  I  want  to  tell  you,  ma,  you  could  just 
as  well  have  called  me  Rebecca  as  Ruth.  If  I  have  to 
follow  Ruth,  I  will  some  day  take  care  and  rub  noses  with 
a  mother-in-law  instead  of  a  loving  husband.  Rebecca 
at  the  Well  has  a  better  chance  of  meeting  another  feller. ' ' 

They  all  laughed  at  the  witty  Ruth  and  the  Woman 
answered  the  question  as  to  her  favorite  flower  by  saying 
she  had  none. 

"All,"  she  said,  "are  symbolic  of  something.  When 
I  am  sad,  I  like  a  violet ;  when  I  feel  sacred,  I  want  a  lily. 
A  rose  takes  a  proud  part,  well  defying  with  her  thorns 
as  she  serves  her  mission." 

"What  do  you  want  for  love?"  asked  Ruth. 

"A  forget-me-not,"  said  the  Woman  simply. 

"That's  right,"  said  Mr.  Hilbert,  "if  love  is  forgotten 
the  world  looks  mighty  dark,  eh,  ma  ? ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert,"  if  two  only  understand 
each  other,  then  love  wins."  Turning  to  the  Woman,  Mrs. 
Hilbert  kept  on :  "I  am  glad  you  came  back  still  free.  He 
(pointing  in  the  direction  of  the  Woman's  former  home) 
said  you  were  married,  and  now  here  you  are  proving  him 
a  liar." 

"Nobody  believed  him  anyway,  but  it's  a  mighty  nice 
thing  to  see  you  around,"  assured  Mr.  Hilbert. 

They  made  plans  for  their  trip  while  the  Woman  put 
Ronile  to  bed,  and  soon  everybody  in  the  Hilbert  house- 
hold was  happy  in  Slumberland. 


LIGHT  THAT  SHINES  FOR  TOMORROW      103 

At  sunrise  everybody  was  up,  for  the  folks  were  going 
to  make  a  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  mile  trip  that  day  and 
' '  some  mountain  climbing,  too, ' '  said  the  boss  of  the  house. 
Austin  cried ;  he  wanted  to  stay  with  Ronile,  and  they  prom- 
ised to  let  him  come  back  in  two  weeks  with  Mr.  Hilbert, 
as  "ma"  would  stay  as  long  as  she  liked.  Everybody  felt 
light-hearted.  Mrs.  Hilbert  felt  sure  now  that  the  chickens 
would  be  fed  and  the  baby  chicks  get  proper  care  when 
it  rained.  She  knew  from  Mrs.  Delien's  garden  that  it 
was  always  in  perfect  order  and  how  she  had  always  pre- 
served everything.  Ruth  surely  would  have  let  some 
things  go  to  waste. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

WITH  THE  PANSY-FACED  GABDENEB 

Thus  the  robbery  lead  Mrs.  Delien  and  Ronile  to  a 
change  of  unexpected  happiness,  freedom  and  home  sur- 
roundings. Ronile  took  music  lessons  and  practiced  two 
hours  every  day,  with  the  remark  that  she  would  have 
more  time  to  play  when  Austin  came  back.  Then  she  would 
walk  to  the  tent  and  pat  the  eye  of  God,  thanking  Him 
again  and  again  for  the  Indian  suits. 

Often  she  would  run  over  to  the  gardener  to  see  Vic- 
tor, the  big  dog.  Her  delight  was  great  as  she  saw  him 
perform  all  kinds  of  tricks.  He  would  lie  down  pretending 
he  was  dead,  then  go  into  the  shed  to  get  wood  for  the 
fire.  When  they  sprinkled  the  lawn  he  would  change  the 
hose  from  one  place  to  another.  Ronile  even  offered  the 
gardener  her  Indian  suit  for  Victor  but  the  good  man 
told  her  that  Victor  was  very  happy  in  his  big  home  and 
maybe  he  would  not  like  to  rove  around  like  a  tramp. 

"But,"  retorted  Ronile,  "we  are  not  tramps,  just 
because  we  travel  around!  Was  Christ  a  tramp?"  she 
asked.  "He  traveled!" 

"Well,"  said  the  old  gardener,  "Christ  was  the  Son 
of  God,  He  had  to  so  that  the  world  could  learn  the  words 
of  God."  Looking  at  Ronile  with  a  kind  expression,  he 
pointed  to  the  hothouse,  saying :  "  If  I  take  out  these  plants 
now  they  will  not  do  so  well.  Everything  has  a  place,  even 
you,  little  partner.  That  place  is  right  here.  We  just 
think  that  a  new  star  shines  in  the  daytime  when  we  have 
you  around." 

"Then,"  said  Ronile,  eagerly,  "if  you  keep  these 
flowers  in  the  hothouse,  you  will  sell  them  and  somebody 
will  pull  all  their  lovely  petals  off  and  they  will  die  sooner 
than  those  on  the  outside  on  the  bushes." 

"That's  right,  my  dear,  but  they  will  have  served 
their  mission. ' ' 

"So  have  I!"  answered  Ronile. 

"What  is  your  mission?"  he  humorously  inquired. 


"Look,  mother,  deary,  look  !    Josephine  has  a  new  coat  and  cap.     The 
angels  made  the  same  stitch  you  do,"  cried  Ronile,  joyously. — Page  44. 


WITH  THE  PANSY-FACED  GARDENER      105 

She  thought  a  while,  then  looked  around  as  if  to  find 
a  way  to  express  herself;  her  eyes  rested  on  the  sky  and 
then  she  said,  "I  will  lead  God's  breath  into  hungry  souls." 

"By  Jove,"  cried  the  gardener,  "who  told  you  that?" 

"My  mother!"  she  said. 

"That's  pretty  wise  talk  for  a  little  lady  like  you." 

"Well,"  said  she,  with  an  earnest  look  at  the  flowers, 
"everything  must  die;  so  must  we;  and  mother  says  every 
morning  I  should  stretch  out  my  arms  like  the  birds 'wings. 
Then  I  should  look  up  to  God  and  ask,  while  I  take  deep 
breaths,  to  have  His  breath  enter  in. ' ' 

"What  is  God's  breath?"  asked  the  interested  gar- 
dener. 

"Air,"  replied  the  girl. 

"But  how  are  you  going  to  teach  hungry  souls  to 
feed  on  that  air  called  God 's  breath  ? ' ' 

"By  telling  them  it  is!" 

"Is  what?" 

"That  air  is  'God's  breath,'"  she  answered  impa- 
tiently. "Oh,  Mr.  Forster,  you  don't  understand,"  and 
she  started  to  leave  him,  but  the  good  man  knew  well  the 
meaning  of  that  child's  soul,  yet  he  took  keen  delight  in 
her  sincerity. 

He  picked  a  small  bunch  of  pansies  and  handed  them 
to  her,  saying:  "Keep  it  up;  feed  the  souls,  while  I  raise 
floAvers.  The  world  never  did  you  any  harm,  I  dare  say." 

' '  Oh,  thank  you ! ' '  she  exclaimed.  ' '  The  darling  faces. 
I  wonder  if  God  made  these  after  you?"  and  she  went  on, 
"He  must  have,  because  they  look  like  you,  Mr.  Forster. 
I  always  used  to  think  your  face  was  in  every  pansy. ' ' 

"Why?"  asked  the  giver. 

"Just  look  at  your  face!  This  pansy  has  a  beard  just 
like  yours,  all  around  its  darling  face." 

"Well,  well,"  replied  the  gardener,  "you  certainly 
gave  me  the  best  compliment.  My  girls  call  me  a  hairy 
beast." 

She  looked  at  him  pityingly,  then  stroked  his  beard,  say- 
ing, "Never  mind,  I  like  you  that  way!" 

"Well,  then,"  he  answered  jovially,  "I  won't  worry 
about  them  any  more,  as  long  as  you  think  I  am  all  right." 


106  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

She  looked  at  the  bunch  of  pansies  in  her  hand  again 
and  said,  ' '  I  must  put  them  in  water ;  otherwise  they  may 
die  before  their  time." 

"All  right,"  said  the  kind  gardener,  "now  don't  for- 
get to  come  over  often.  I  want  you  to  put  a  little  of  God 's 
breath  into  me,  too!"  and  shaking  his  head  he  pulled  out 
his  tobacco  and  filled  his  pipe.  He  watched  his  little  friend 
as  she  ran  across  the  empty  lot  holding  the  pansies  care- 
fully, mumbling  to  himself,  ' '  A  mighty  clever  little  girl. ' ' 

In  the  evening  he  told  his  women-folks,  as  he  called 
them,  about  the  wise  talk  of  the  little  girl. 

"Well,"  said  one  daughter,  a  spinster  of  broad  and 
wholesome  ideas,  ' '  seems  to  me  the  Woman  is  not  as  bad  as 
he  made  her.  If  she  had  another  man  she  would  not  be 
here  for  good." 

"Yes,"  said  the  other,  "one  would  think  she  would 
never  want  to  see  this  miserable  old  place  again  after 
all  she  suffered." 

"Well,"  said  the  father,  "the  past  doesn't  seem  to 
bother  them.  They  have  a  wonderful  way  of  looking  at 
things,  at  least  Ronile  has,  and  surely  the  mother  has  too, 
otherwise  the  child  would  not  say  such  things. ' '  He  laughed 
broadly  as  he  told  them  about  her  saying  that  God  made 
the  pansies  after  him,  with  a  beard  on  their  darling  faces. 

' '  Well, ' '  said  Rose,  the  older  daughter,  ' '  when  she  was 
a  tiny  thing  I  remember  how  Georgie  Adams  carried  her  to 
Sunday  School  and  if  I  recollect  right  she  was  not  over  two 
years  old.  Why  she  recited  that  piece,  'Hush,  my  pretty 
little  dear,'  just  wonderfully,  and  say,  she  would  not  do 
it  though  without  a  stage.  We  had  to  put  a  newspaper 
on  the  floor  so  she  could  have  her  platform." 

"Poor  little  Georgie  Adams,"  said  the  younger  sister, 
"how  long  has  he  been  dead  now?" 

"About  four  years,"  said  the  father.  "I  remember 
the  time  he  was  killed,  poor  boy,  touching  that  live  wire 
after  the  awful  storm.  Why,  it  killed  the  crops  in  most 
places,  and  blew  one  of  my  hothouses  to  splinters." 

"Yes,"  said  Rose,  "and  do  you  remember  how  Ronile 
came  with  her  bank  in  her  hand  to  buy  some  flowers  for 
Georgie?" 


WITH  THE  PANSY-FACED  GARDENER      107 

"I'll  never  forget,"  said  Alice,  the  younger  sister, 
"when  I  took  her  back,  bank  and  all.  No  one  knew  about 
her  even  leaving  the  house." 

"Yes,"  said  the  father,  "she  wanted  to  buy  lots  of 
flowers,  I  remember,  and  knowing  that  that  was  her  bank 
she  was  willing  to  give  me  bank  and  all  for  Georgie's 
flowers. ' ' 

' '  She  was  always  an  odd  child, ' '  said  Rose,  looking  into 
space  recalling  some  of  Ronile's  pranks.  After  that  evening 
the  two  sisters  made  it  a  point  to  be  present  when  Ronile 
came  again  to  give  her  pansy  friend  more  "wise  talk,"  as 
they  called  it.  So  the  gardener's  people  received  lots  of  in- 
formation from  their  little  "world-rover,"  as  they  some- 
times called  her,  just  to  see  a  defiant  flash  in  her  eyes. 

"Well,"  said  Ronile,  "if  you  sit  here,  how  can  you 
think  different?  Did  you  ever  see  an  amphitheater?" 

"No,"  said  the  sisters. 

"Well,  then,  it  takes  a  rover  to  tell  you  about  it, 
doesn't  it?"  asked  Ronile. 

"Yes,"  said  Alice,  "tell  us  what  you  saw  there." 

"Well,  some  sweet  singers." 

"What  did  they  sing?" 

"Oh,"  said  Ronile,  raising  her  brow,  "the  Stabat 
Mater  Dolorosa." 

"What  does  that  mean?"  asked  Rose. 

' '  That  means  the  heart-cry  from  Christ 's  mother. ' ' 

1 '  You  don 't  say, ' '  answered  Rose.    ' '  Where  was  that  ? ' ' 

"Oh,  at  the  amphitheater  in  Berkeley,"  she  replied. 

"When?"  kept  on  Rose. 

"Holy  Week,  on  Good  Friday." 

"You  are  a  lucky  girl,"  said  Alice,  "and  we  want 
you  to  tell  the  Sunday  School  class  all  about  it,  will  you  ? ' ' 

"Yes,  I  will,  gladly,"  said  Ronile.  "But  can  I  tell 
them  about  the  buffalos  and  kangaroos  at  Golden  Gate 
Park?  You  know,"  she  went  on,  "the  kangaroos  carry 
their  babies  in  a  pocket  that  grows  right  on  them." 

' '  Well, ' '  said  the  old  gardener,  ' '  you  will  have  to  make 
an  allowance  in  your  class  next  Sunday  and  give  the  chil- 
dren a  lecture  on  the  beasts  in  Golden  Gate  Park." 

"But,  Mr.  Forster!"  said  Ronile  eagerly,  "kangaroos 


108  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

are  not  beasts.  They  are  very  lovable.  Sometimes  you  can 
only  see  the  ears  of  their  babies  sticking  out  as  they  hop 
along  with  them  tucked  in.'* 

"Right  you  are,"  said  the  gardener,  "a  beast  is  a 
ferocious  animal,"  and  Ronile  nodded  in  a  satisfied  way. 
She  told  them  about  the  concerts  every  Sunday  in  Golden 
Gate  Park.  ' '  And  it  is  lovely, ' '  she  said.  ' '  In  the  summer 
the  trees  in  the  sunken  garden  before  the  music  stand  have 
all  their  leaves  to  keep  the  sun  away  because  it  is  hot.  Then 
in  the  winter,  when  it  gets  cooler,  the  leaves  fall  off  to  let 
the  sun  warm  the  people. ' ' 

"God  certainly  finds  a  way  of  warming  old  people's 
backs  when  they  want  to  hear  good  music,"  said  the  old 
gardener. 

"By  the  way,"  said  Rose,  "do  you  play?" 

"I  do,  but  not  many  pieces,  just  one  called  Violet," 
said  Ronile. 

"She  is  bound  to  stick  with  the  flowers,"  laughed 
the  gardener,  as  they  watched  her  playing  with  Victor. 

"There,"  said  Rose,  "when  she  don't  want  to  keep 
up,  you  can't  make  her." 

"Well,"  said  the  father,  "that's  what  I  call  a  strong 
mind,  and  besides  it  isn't  right  to  keep  pumping  too  much 
out  of  her.  She  may  get  tired  and  not  come  over  so  often. ' ' 

"That's  right,"  said  Alice,  "we  must  not  lose  her  for 
we  do  enjoy  her  talk."  Thus  they  humored  her  each  day 
with  cake  and  flowers  just  to  get  a  bit  of  her  wisdom, 
gained  in  roving  the  world. 

Mrs.  Delien  and  Ruth  kept  busy  sewing,  to  Ruth 's  great 
delight.  There  came  only  a  few  "darns"  from  Ruth,  as 
the  days  passed,  for  she  promised  to  act  very  ladylike. 
She  also  manicured  her  finger  nails  and  many  times  wished 
the  work  were  not  so  dirty.  There  was  great  fear  of  break- 
ing a  nail  when  she  weeded  the  garden,  for  she  had  ad- 
mitted to  Mrs.  Delien,  as  she  held  her  hands  toward  the 
light,  fingers  down,  that  the  nails  looked  like  drops  of  water. 
She  was  more  careful  not  to  let  pots  get  burned  for  fear 
of  breaking  her  nails  in  scouring  them. 

After  two  weeks  there  was  a  pretty  display  of  summer 
frocks.  Ruth  looked  her  best  as  she  went  to  church  in  a 


WITH  THE  PANSY-FACED  GARDENER      109 

flimsy,  soft,  dotted  swiss,  with  light  blue  ribbon  around 
her  waist  and  on  the  sleeves,  bringing  the  short  puff  to  a 
neat  finish  above  the  elbow.  She  wore  a  pair  of  long  silk 
gloves  for  the  first  time  and  if  God  was  not  quite  satisfied 
with  her  devotion  that  Sunday,  thought  Ruth,  He  could 
hardly  blame  her  for  feeling  so  proud.  During  the  ser- 
mon she  felt  an  envious  look  from  her  old  school  enemy, 
Minnie  Finch.  She  raised  her  head  airily  and  ignored  the 
envious  look  from  that ' '  freckled-faced  minx, ' '  as  she  called 
her.  There  was  no  attention  paid  to  the  sermon,  for  she 
was  too  busy  sitting  prim,  or  touching  her  hat  with  the 
new  silk  flowers. 

' '  My, ' '  she  thought,  ' '  if  that  minx  ever  sees  them ! ' ' 
Then  she  would  raise  her  arms  slightly  to  show  her  long 
gloves.  After  the  services  she  told  the  Woman  how  glad  she 
was  to  show  that  spiteful  old  cat  Minnie  Finch  how  to  dress. 
She  did  not  notice  the  distressed  look  on  her  friend's  face 
as  she  went  on,  saying  that  Minnie's  father  would  have 
to  sell  the  old  cow  to  get  her  an  outfit  like  that. 

Mrs.  Delien  took  Ruth  firmly  by  the  shoulders  and 
looked  sadly  into  her  eyes,  saying,  "If  I  had  known  that 
this  outfit  would  create  spite  instead  of  thanks  to  God,  I 
would  never  have  made  it." 

"Well,"  said  Ruth,  "can't  I  get  a  chance  to  show 
that  spiteful,  old  thing  how  nice  I  can  look  ? ' ' 

"No,"  said  her  friend,  "you  showed  God  how  weak 
you  are  in  being  spiteful  yourself.  Oh,  deary,  now  your 
dresses  don't  seem  the  same  to  me.  They  have  lost  their 
beauty  and  wholesomeness.  You  attracted  the  envious 
look  from  what  you  term  a  rival,  thus  putting  her  mentally 
on  your  basis. ' ' 

"I  didn't  touch  her,"  cried  Ruth,  almost  in  tears. 

"No,  you  didn't,"  said  the  Woman,  "but  in  the  house 
of  God  you  made  sure  that  another  mind  was  away  from 
worship  by  drawing  attention  to  yourself,  thus  causing 
an  envious  vibration  instead  of  pure,  simple  devotion.  I 
am  ashamed  before  God  that  I  used  the  powers  He  gave 
me  to  create  such  beautiful  things  and  then  caused  distur- 
bance in  the  hour,  the  only  one  in  all  the  week  that  He 
expects  us  to  commune  with  Him.  See,  dear,  we  expect 


110  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Him  to  be  ever  near  us  and  help  us,  but  what  do  we  do 
to  get  nearer  to  Him?  He  is  so  merciful  and  forgives, 
therefore,  if  you  make  up  your  mind  to  be  nice  and  think 
of  Him  only  while  in  His  house  of  worship,  I  am  sure  He 
will  forgive  you  this  time." 

"But,"  said  Euth,  "I  saw  her  look  at  me,  the  horrid 
old  thing." 

"Now,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  "don't  use  those 
words.  If  you  had  smiled  nicely  at  her  and  not  spitefully 
in  a  haughty  way,  she  would  have  been  happy  to  see  you 
look  so  nice." 

"Not  she!"  said  Ruth,  gruffly,  "you  don't  know  her. 
Why  she  already  goes  out  with  the  boys." 

"And  she  will  pay  the  consequences,"  said  the  Woman. 
"If  she  is  weak,  Ruth  dear,  you  must  be  strong  to  help  her 
by  giving  a  good  example. ' ' 

"That  girl  doesn't  know  what  example  means.  She 
has  always  been  a  dunce  in  school!" 

"There  we  have  it,"  said  the  Woman.  "Perhaps 
her  bringing  up  was  not  what  it  should  be.  You  see,  dear, 
not  everybody  has  the  good  fortune  to  be  born  in  the  lap  of 
brilliant  parents  like  yours.  God  will  judge  her  less  for  her 
wrongs  because  she  was  not  raised  on  proper  soil,  yet 
she  may  adorn  a  high  place  in  God's  garden  some  day." 

"She'd  have  to  be  a  tiger  lily,"  said  Ruth,  pouting, 
"with  her  freckles." 

The  Woman  laughed  at  Ruth's  perception  of  God's 
garden,  and  said:  "Are  you  not  thankful  that  you  were 
chosen  for  me  to  make  things  for  ?  God  might  have  picked 
her.  Poor  Minnie.  She  doesn't  know  how  a  silk  glove 
feels." 

"I  should  say  not;  her  hands  are  like  a  cow's  tongue; 
you  could  grate  a  potato  on  them  for  pancakes, ' '  said  Ruth 
spitefully. 

"Has  she  no  piano?"  asked  the  Woman. 

"The  washboard  is  all  she  plays  on,  the  poor  simp." 

"Now,  Ruth,  please  don't  use  any  more  slang,"  and 
there  was  a  determined  look  on  the  Woman's  face  as  they 
were  washing  the  dinner  dishes. 

Ruth  looked  worried;  she  loved  her  friend  and  did 


WITH  THE  PANSY-FACED  GARDENEE      111 

not  want  to  hurt  her  feelings.  She  looked  out,  wishing 
her  father  would  come  home  or  a  thunder  storm  would 
come  up — anything  to  make  a  change  in  the  situation,  even 
thunder,  and  that  she  hated,  but  she  would  not  mind  if 
something  struck  her  meanness,  she  thought.  Her  heart 
was  big,  but  her  tongue  loose,  Mrs.  Hilbert  had  said  once. 
The  "Woman  smiled  as  she  thought  of  those  words,  and 
Ruth  saw  that  smile.  She  threw  down  the  dish-cloth,  wiped 
her  hands  on  her  apron,  and  held  on  to  her  friend  in  glee. 

"Oh,  I  know,"  she  cried  happily,  "you  are  not  mad 
at  me,  are  you?" 

"Only  dogs  get  mad,"  said  the  Woman. 

"Angry,"  corrected  Ruth,  and  looked  her  friend 
squarely  in  the  eyes  and  said:  "I  would  sooner  die.  I 
could  not  stand  it.  Why,  I  hate  storms  and  wished  for 
one  so  you  would  talk  to  me.  I  am  sorry  that  there  is  so 
much  spitefulness  in  me,  but  I  promise  you  to  be  like  you 
even  if  it  is  hard.  If  Minnie  were  here  now  I  would  kiss 
her  just  to  show  you  how  I  mean  it." 

The  Woman  took  her  little  friend  in  a  tender  embrace 
and  kissed  her  ardently,  then  said:  "You  don't  like  me  to 
be  angry  with  you  because  you  respect  my  sincerity.  I 
am  only  a  woman  like  you  and  think  of  the  great  omnipo- 
tent power  of  God;  how  terrible  it  is  to  disobey  Him  and 
arouse  His  anger.  Is  it  not  better  to  respect  Him  when 
He  owns  everything,  even  us?  For  when  He  calls  us  we 
must  obey.  We  leave  our  body  and  join  Him  and  if  we 
don 't  know  the  way  we  cannot  find  Him ;  then  we  wander 
in  darkness."  She  put  her  arm  around  Ruth  and  led 
her  to  the  porch.  Pointing  up  to  the  sky,  she  said,  "Sup- 
pose the  Father  should  call  you  now." 

Ruth  shuddered  as  she  looked  hopelessly  at  her  adviser. 
"I  hope  He  won't,"  she  cried,  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  "I — 
I,"  she  stammered,  "want  to  make  good.  If  I  could  only 
get  hurt  to  suffer  some,  so  God  would  forgive  me." 

"Oh,  my  dear  little  girl,"  said  the  Woman,  "I  will 
show  you  a  way  to  make  good  without  suffering."  They 
took  off  their  aprons,  then  gave  the  chicks  fresh  water  and 
taking  their  parasols,  strolled  along  the  country  road.  They 
passed  some  farm  houses  and  Ruth  wondered  where  she 


112  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

was  going,  when  she  beheld  Minnie  standing  by  the  gate, 
holding  a  flower  and  talking  to  a  neighbor  boy  named  Ed. 
Mrs.  Delien  walked  over  and  took  her  hands  in  hers,  hold- 
ing them  a  while  and  looking  into  the  tiger  lily  face  with 
supreme  love  and  tenderness. 

She  made  a  low  bow  of  solemn  respect  to  the  awkward 
Ed,  then  looking  at  the  bewildered  Ruth,  said,  "How  would 
you  like  to  entertain  these  young  people  at  your  house  this 
afternoon,  deary?" 

Minnie  looked  at  her  old  enemy  in  surprise  but  Ruth 
put  her  arms  around  her  old  school  chum's  shoulder  and 
begged  her  to  come  and  bring  Ed,  too. 

There  was  a  curious  expression  on  Minnie's  counte- 
nance as  she  listened,  and  seeing  that  the  invitation  was  a 
serious  one,  she  threw  both  her  arms  up  in  the  air  and  ran 
back  to  the  house,  calling  to  her  invalid  mother,  "Oh,  Marm, 
Ruth  asked  me  to  come  to  her  house,  can  I  go  ? " 

A  smile  supreme  greeted  the  Woman,  as  she  walked 
over  to  the  house  to  speak  to  the  sick  mother,  who  lamented 
that  Minnie  never  had  a  chance  to  go  anywhere  and  that 
she  had  cried  while  she  ate  her  dinner  because  Ruth  snubbed 
her  in  church. 

"Ruth  did  not  mean  it,"  explained  the  Woman,  "these 
girls  simply  did  not  understand  each  other;  they  are  both 
wonderful  girls."  In  leaving  she  told  the  farmer's  wife 
to  pray  for  her  ailments  as  God  was  near  where  nature  was 
so  abundantly  beautiful. 

"Oh,"  said  the  weary  farmer  woman,  "I  don't  know. 
He  seems  to  have  forgotten  me." 

"It  is  exactly  the  same,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  "as  when 
you  telephone  and  the  other  party  does  not  take  off  the 
receiver — you  cannot  get  connected.  So  with  us;  if  we 
don't  know  the  Father,  how  should  He  know  us?"  Look- 
ing around  she  beheld  hundreds  of  fruit  trees  and  wonder- 
ful patches  of  crops.  She  pointed  to  them,  saying:  "He  is 
everywhere  here  with  you.  Don 't  you  know  Christ 's  saying, 
'Be  ye  perfect  as  your  Father  in  heaven?'  How  splendidly 
your  crops  are  cared  for.  You  keep  them  free  from  weeds. 
That  is  why  they  stand  erect  in  all  their  strength,  because 
no  weeds  absorb  their  vitality.  There  are  weeds  in  you; 


WITH  THE  PANSY-FACED  GARDENER      113 

they  are  like  two  worms  called  disgust  and  distrust.  They 
gnaw  on  the  vital  cord  of  your  being,  making  you  helpless. 
Then  you  blame  God.  Here  you  have  carefully  removed 
the  weeds  but  have  forgotten  yourself.  Try  it ;  we  all  need 
overhauling  at  times.  Faith  is  the  only  weapon  you  need  to 
remove  those  worms." 

"How  can  I  go  to  church  when  I  can  hardly  walk 
across  the  room?"  asked  the  invalid. 

"It  is  not  church  you  need  to  see  into  yourself.  Most 
people  go  to  church  for  a  purpose — some  to  let  the  minister 
do  the  praying,  others  to  display  their  garments."  Ruth 
walked  away  at  that  and  the  Woman  saw  only  how  red 
her  ears  looked  as  she  made  haste  to  reach  the  gate. 

The  Woman  continued:  "Mrs.  Finch,  you  have  been 
planted  here  to  serve  Him ;  He  put  you  on  these  grounds  and 
now  you  sit  and  complain,  causing  God  to  make  you  ill. 
It  is  rheumatism  you  have,  is  it  not?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  invalid. 

"Well,  I  remember  ten  years  ago  we  bought  all  our 
berries  and  fruit  here,  and  in  the  early  spring  you  were 
out  all  kinds  of  weather.  I  told  you  at  that  time  that  some 
day  you  would  have  rheumatism,  as  after  one  gets  his 
blood  chilled  it  forms  into  lumps,  and  stops  circulation,  thus 
causing  that  part  of  the  body  to  congest,  making  it  swell 
and  causing  great  pain." 

"Ten  years  ago,"  replied  the  invalid,  "I  was  well  and 
did  not  mind  it,  but  now  I  am  not  good  for  anything." 

"You  did  not  abide  by  the  law  of  nature.  See,  the 
men  had  rubber  boots  on  and  they  are  spared  these  pains : 
but  you  thought  there  was  no  end  to  your  strength,  and 
yet  nature  teaches  how  far  one  can  go." 

A  light  came  into  the  eyes  of  the  stricken  woman.  She 
held  out  both  hands  and  said:  "If  you  were  here  longer, 
why  there  wouldn't  be  anyone  sick.  You'll  just  talk  it  out 
of  me,  I  dare  say." 

"Well,"  replied  Mrs.  Delien,  happily,  "try  to  talk 
yourself  out  of  it — I  showed  you  the  way.  Good-by.  God 
be  with  you " ;  so  saying  Mrs.  Delien  left  with  her  happy 
party,  a  look  toward  heaven  for  grace  and  thanks  for 
the  power  to  sow  another  good  seed. 


114  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

They  took  the  awkward,  clumsy  farm-children  into 
the  parlor.  Ruth  played  the  piano  and  the  Woman  served 
root  beer  and  some  cake  Mrs.  Hilbert  had  made  before  she 
left. 

"Minnie  had  the  broadest  smile  on  her  freckled  face  I 
ever  saw,"  said  Ruth  as  they  watched  their  guests  hurry 
over  the  hill  "to  help  get  the  milk  strained,"  as  Minnie 
said. 

"Oh,  you  darling!"  cried  Ruth.  "Is  that  the  way 
you  punished  me  to  make  me  good  ? ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  "I  know  God  will  forgive 
you  now  for  you  made  poor  Minnie  so  happy. ' ' 

' '  I  never  thought  she  was  so  nice, ' '  said  Ruth. 

"Because  you  never  looked  for  her  good  qualities," 
answered  the  Woman.  "How  does  an  echo  sound?"  she 
asked  Ruth. 

"As  you  call,"  answered  Ruth. 

' '  Well,  there  you  are.  She  is  just  as  good  as  you  make 
her,  and  her  life  is  not  so  easy,  my  dear.  You  must  help 
her  bear  up.  Look  at  the  difference  in  your  sweet  mother 
and  her  bitter  lump  of  flesh  to  contend  with  all  day  long. ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  Ruth,  "I  am  going  to  give  her  a  piano 
lesson  every  Sunday  afternoon." 

"I  knew  it,"  smiled  the  Woman.  "You  are  just  the 
best  little  pal  for  her,"  and  kissing  her  three  times  she 
showed  her  how  she  meant  it. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  PRESENTIMENT;  WITH  A  TRIP  TO  CONEY  ISLAND 

Going  into  the  kitchen,  Mrs.  Delien  prepared  a  cold 
lunch  and  put  it  on  the  dining-room  table. 

"What  are  you  doing  that  for?"  asked  Ruth. 

"Oh,"  replied  the  Woman,  "your  father  and  Austin 
and  some  one  else  will  be  here  shortly." 

"Who  can  the  someone  else  be?"  thought  Ruth;  then 
turning  to  her  friend  she  asked,  "How  do  you  know  Pa 
is  coming?" 

' '  I  feel  it, ' '  replied  the  other. 

"But  how?" 

"Well,  I  just  feel  him  coming  nearer  and  I  picture 
him  to  be  in  Plainfield  by  now.  It  just  appears  to  me  that 
way  and  I  hear  him  talking  to  a  woman;  it  sounds  like 
your  Aunt  Emma's  voice." 

Ruth  jumped  in  glee. 

' '  Oh,  my  aunt, ' '  she  said.  ' '  What  a  good  time  we  will 
have  if  she  comes." 

Before  long  they  were  running  down  the  street  to 
meet  the  party  from  Pennsylvania.  Aunt  Emma  was 
there,  much  to  Ruth's  surprise,  and  she  thought:  "HOW 
did  she  know?  Well,  I'll  be  good ;  that  will  be  my  motto." 

There  were  happy  days  following.  A  trip  to  Coney 
Island  was  planned.  "By  boat,"  suggested  Ruth.  So 
they  all  got  ready  after  Aunty  had  a  few  days'  rest.  It 
was  the  first  trip  Aunt  Emma  had  ever  made  by  boat, 
and  every  little  jerk  set  her  jumping  up  nervously,  but  the 
music  seemed  a  good  remedy  to  quiet  poor  aunty's  nerves. 
Ruth  had  smuggled  a  small  baby-faced  toy  with  a  whistle 
at  the  end.  She  would  hold  the  baby 's  mouth  shut  and  then 
blow  it  open,  thus  creating  a  perfect  baby  cry.  She  held  the 
mysterious  baby  carefully  wrapped  in  the  end  of  her  veil. 
Aunt  Emma  seemed  greatly  alarmed  at  the  mysterious  cry 
and  kept  lamenting  about  the  ridiculous  people  who  did  not 
know  how  to  take  care  of  a  baby. 

' '  Catch  me  bringing  a  poor  little  baby  on  a  boat  of  this 
kind, ' '  she  said.  ' '  Gracious  sakes  alive,  this  is  my  first  boat 


116  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

ride,  as  old  as  I  am,  and  it  came  too  soon.  There 's  a  feeling 
in  me  now  as  if  I  want  to  turn  inside  out.  Oh,  dear,  I  wish 
I  were  at  home  on  the  hill.  Land  sakes,  if  I  could  only  see 
the  child !  No  wonder  it  cries,  if  it  feels  as  sick  as  I  do. " 

There  was  not  a  smile  on  Ruth 's  face  as  she  at  rapid  in- 
tervals uttered  the  mysterious  baby  cries.  Not  only  poor 
aunty  was  alarmed;  many  other  people  on  the  boat  looked 
around,  some  holding  the  food  in  their  mouths  as  they  lis- 
tened and  forgetting  to  partake  of  their  picnic  goodies. 

Mrs.  Delien  noticed  how  pale  Aunt  Emma's  face  was 
getting  and  thought  of  bringing  an  end  to  the  mysterious 
sounds.  Sitting  behind  Ruth,  she  watched  her  chance. 
When  the  mischief-maker  blew  the  whistle  again,  she  pushed 
her,  thus  making  a  regular  squall  out  of  the  wailing  cry. 
Some  thought  an  accident  had  happened  and  ran  leaving 
their  lunch  behind. 

Poor  aunty  was  hanging  over  the  railing  thinking  the 
ship  was  going  down,  as  she  murmured  in  a  choked  voice, 
"God  help  me,  I  want  to  look  death  in  the  face  if  it  must 
be."  Mrs.  Delien  grabbed  her  and  pushed  her  carefully 
into  her  seat ;  then  she  pulled  the  mysterious  trouble-maker 
from  under  Ruth's  arm.  At  the  sight  of  the  little  toy, 
Aunt  Emma  looked  fiercely  at  her  niece,  too  angry  to  speak. 

The  Woman  noticed  this  and  remarked,  ' '  If  those  eyes 
of  yours  were  daggers  now,  poor  Ruth  would  be  stabbed." 
In  Aunt  Emma's  generous  nature,  daggers  and  malicious 
objects  had  no  place  and  she  did  not  wish  to  be  classed  as 
harboring  such  horrid  things  as  daggers  in  her  looks,  so  she 
smiled,  consoled  at  the  thought  that  there  was  not  a  poor 
little  baby  in  it  after  all.  She  took  great  delight,  however, 
in  seeing  others  get  fooled  by  the  silly  little  whistle,  as  she 
called  it. 

On  arriving  at  the  long  pier  in  Coney  Island,  the 
Woman  held  Aunt  Emma  by  the  arm  as  she  did  not  watch 
where  she  was  going.  Her  eyes  were  following  the  shoot-the- 
chutes,  turning  around  to  see  where  they  went,  and  never 
watching  where  she  was  going. 

' '  So  many  people !  Where  do  they  all  come  from  ? ' '  she 
stammered  nervously.  "Goodness  gracious  sakes  alive, 
why  there  are  more  people  on  this  pier  alone  than  in  our 
whole  town. ' ' 


THE  PRESENTIMENT  117 

The  Woman  asked  her  why  she  stopped  and  stared  at  a 
policeman. 

' '  Well, ' '  she  said, ' '  I  want  to  remember  his  face.  Sakes 
alive,  we  may  get  lost  and  not  find  the  ship  to  go  back. ' ' 

"Oh,"  laughed  Mrs.  Delien,  "he  will  be  off  duty  by  the 
time  we  are  going  home.  Never  mind,  dear,  don't  worry, 
we  will  find  our  way  back. ' ' 

So  they  marched  toward  the  beach.  Aunty  could  not 
at  first  partake  of  the  lunch.  In  her  clean,  good  mind,  she 
was  too  absorbed  by  the  ' '  brazen  things ' '  who  had  the  nerve 
to  dress  so  scantily. 

"What  would  our  minister  say  if  he  saw  me  here  in 
a  crowd  of  this  kind?  Sakes  alive!  I  hope  no  one  is  here 
from  up  home.  I  'd  be  ashamed  to  show  my  face. ' ' 

They  all  tried  to  explain  that  it  is  customary  to  have 
such  suits,  as  it  gives  more  benefit  to  get  the  electricity  out 
of  the  water  into  the  body. 

"Well,"  said  aunty,  "I'd  be  afraid  God  would  strike 
their  miserable  bare  bodies  if  they  have  no  modesty  and 
shame  in  'em. ' '  The  invigorating  ocean  air,  however,  crept 
slowly  into  that  mountain  girl's  lungs,  filled  them  up  with 
fresh  vigor,  thus  compelling  her  to  eat  with  great  appetite, 
and  enjoy  the  day  after  all. 

Austin  and  Ronile  wanted  to  go  bathing,  but  Mr.  Hil- 
bert  wranted  them  to  wait  until  noon,  so  they  took  in  the 
sights.  He  purchased  a  set  of  tickets  for  Luna  Park,  giving 
them  tickets  for  the  "Bowl  of  Joy,"  and  suggesting  that 
Aunt  Emma  take  the  one  for  the  "Helter  Skelter."  She 
scolded  him  for  spending  so  much  money. 

' '  Well,  it 's  your  first  time  and  we  might  as  well  make  a 
good  day  of  it,"  he  replied.  Poor  Aunt  Emma  watched  the 
children  getting  thrown  from  one  side  to  the  other  in  the 
bowls. 

"Well,"  said  her  brother-in-law,  "you  had  better  use 
the  ticket;  no  use  wasting  any."  Mrs.  Delien  said  she 
would  go  with  her,  so  she  was  willing.  They  sat  on  small 
mats.  Mrs.  Delien  carefully  tucked  her  skirts  under  and 
slid  along,  holding  on  to  the  mat.  She  told  her  partner  to 
do  the  same,  then  went  rapidly  down  the  chute.  Aunt 
Emma  followed,  but  in  the  excitement  forgot  to  hold  on  to 
the  mat,  and  throwing  her  arms  over  her  head,  she  came 


118  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

down  in  somersaults.  There  was  an  awful  scream  when  she 
recovered.  First  she  looked  around  for  a  chance  to  disap- 
pear. They  followed  her,  overcome  with  laughter. 

"Why  did  you  not  hold  on  to  the  mat?"  asked  Mrs. 
Delien,  trying  to  console  her. 

"How  could  I?"  said  the  poor  girl,  still  shivering. 
"Oh,  Lord,  forgive  me,  that's  what  I  get  in  a  sinful  place  of 
this  kind.  Wish  to  goodness  I  had  never  seen  it. ' '  At  this  re- 
mark she  looked  around  giving  the  impression  of  a  victim 
in  a  lion's  den.  She  rubbed  her  knees  and  elbows,  but 
would  not  give  in  to  her  brother-in-law's  remark  that  it 
hurt. 

"You're  a  poor  sport;  just  look  how  they  all  come 
down, ' '  but  Aunt  Emma  would  not  look  back,  her  attention 
being  centered  on  the  gate. 

They  sat  by  a  large  pond.  Suddenly  they  heard  a 
splash,  and  turning  around  Aunt  Emma  threw  up  her  arms 
in  despair.  The  children  were  coming  down  in  a  boat  from 
a  high  platform  at  great  speed.  The  boat  glided  into  the 
water,  bringing  its  happy,  shouting  contents  to  the  shore. 

Emma  took  Mr.  Hilbert  by  the  arm  and  shook  him 
vigorously.  "You  have  no  sense,"  she  scolded;  "if  the 
boat  had  capsized,  they'd  all  be  drowned."  She  looked  at 
the  book  in  her  hand,  wishing  that  no  more  tickets  were 
left. 

' '  Well, ' '  he  said, ' '  the  worst  is  over ;  only  two  more  left 
and  we  will  all  be  together. ' '  Aunt  Emma  went,  glad  to  put 
an  end  to  those  tickets.  Then  they  had  an  ice  cream  and 
went  back  to  the  beach,  and  all  went  in  bathing  except 
aunty,  who  could  not  be  coaxed  as  she  said  someone  must 
watch  the  lunch  baskets  and  apparel. 

At  eight  o'clock  they  took  the  boat  home,  looking  back 
at  the  wonderful  brilliant  sight. 

"A  City  of  Lights,"  said  Aunt  Emma.  Then  she 
agreed  that  it  had  been  a  nice  day  in  spite  of  the  shocks. 

"You  would  make  a  good  sport,  after  all,"  said  her 
brother-in-law. 

' '  Well, ' '  she  answered,  ' '  I  am  glad  I  went.  Now  when 
the  folks  ask  me  about  Coney  I  '11  have  it  all  over  them. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  SIGN  OP  THE  CROSS 

A  few  days  later,  they  received  a  letter  from  Mrs. 
Hilbert,  who  was  still  visiting  in  Pennsylvania,  saying  that 
one  of  the  neighbors,  a  friend  of  Aunt  Emma's,  was  crazy. 

' '  Oh, ' '  cried  the  latter, ' '  I  knew  it ;  she 's  been  smitten 
by  that  Ouija  Board  ever  since  her  mother  died.  The  poor 
girl!  After  she's  supported  the  old  lady,  and  now  could 
have  it  easy,  she  goes  crazy. ' ' 

Mrs.  Delien  looked  concerned,  but  said  nothing.  In 
the  evening  she  suggested  that  all  sit  in  silence  and  pray  as 
it  might  help  the  poor  girl.  All  hurried  to  get  the  table 
cleared.  The  Woman  wrent  out  alone.  They  saw  her  climb 
College  Hill.  Slowly  she  walked  in  silent  meditation. 
After  sundown  she  returned  with  a  mild,  patient  look  on 
her  face.  She  asked  if  all  were  ready.  They  were.  The 
Woman  laid  the  Bible  on  the  table,  and  a  vase  with  mixed 
flowers;  also  a  glass  of  water.  They  watched  her  silently, 
as  she  sacredly  went  about  the  performances. 

When  all  were  seated  around  the  table,  she  took  the 
Bible  and  read  from  the  Fourteenth  Chapter  of  St.  John: 
"Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled;  ye  believe  in  God,  believe 
also  in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions.  If 
it  were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place 
for  you;  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will 
come  again  and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that  where  I  am, 
there  ye  may  be  also,  and  whither  I  go  ye  know,  and  the 
way  ye  know."  She  closed  the  book  and  looked  up,  saying: 
"Thou  wilt  come  again,  oh  Lord.  Then  we  beseech  Thee 
in  Thine  truth.  We,  Thine  children,  are  assembled  here  to 
plead  for  another.  If  its  mind  is  ill,  something  controls  that 
mind,  and  Thou  art  the  healer  of  minds  in  darkness.  A 
blind  lamb  who  labored  for  a  loved  one.  In  our  Father's 
house  are  many  mansions,  wherein  that  loved  one  also 
dwells.  A  hungry  heart  needs  comfort,  a  mother's  gentle 
touch.  Thou  didst  recall  the  spirit  of  many  and  they  profit- 
ed by  thine  return,  a  communion  with  loved  ones  departed. 
We,  therefore,  know  that  in  Thy  power  lies  the  light  for 
darkened  mind." 


120  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Thus  concluding  she  turned  out  the  lights  and  still  the 
room  was  illuminated.  Mr.  Hilbert  closed  the  shutters  and 
blinds  but  the  light  remained.  Sometimes  it  traveled  along 
the  wall  or  ceiling;  then  it  remained  still  in  the  center  of 
the  circle. 

The  Woman  sang,  "Lead  Kindly  Light,  'Mid  the  En- 
circling Gloom,"  in  a  sacred  tremor.  All  joined  and  as  the 
choir  of  enchanted  singers  became  louder  a  cross  seemed 
to  manifest  itself  so  brilliantly  that  it  dazed  them,  as  it 
slowly  rose  up  to  the  ceiling  and  disappeared.  The  Woman 
stretched  out  her  arms,  singing,  "Lead  Thou  Me  On."  Then 
all  sat  in  silence  for  a  long  time. 

After  closing  the  sacred  meeting,  Mr.  Hilbert  said: 
"Now  I  believe  in  what  you  told  us  about  that  astral  trip. 
No  electric  power  could  produce  such  brilliancy  as  that 
lighted  cross." 

"Yes,"  said  the  woman,  "the  power  of  the  cross.  It 
pays  to  be  crucified;  that  is  the  only  road  where  we  meet 
the  Master  in  all  His  mercy."  Aunt  Emma  could  not 
speak  for  a  long  time.  Ruth  looked  at  the  Woman  with  a 
mixed  expression  of  awe  and  fear,  resolving  not  even  to 
think  wrong,  for  lately  the  Woman  had  told  her  what  she 
was  thinking  about. 

The  next  letter  came,  telling  about  the  insane  girl ;  how 
the  minister  said  she  was  possessed  of  an  evil  spirit,  and  the 
doctors  suggested  removing  her  to  an  asylum.  Aunt  Emma 
was  inconsolable,  saying  that  if  the  minister  and  the  doctor 
could  not  help  her,  she  was  lost. 

Looking  straight  at  Aunt  Emma,  the  Woman  said: 
"Why  have  you  more  faith  in  your  minister  and  doctor 
than  in  Christ?  Did  not  the  cross  Drove  His  presence?" 

"But  He  said  nothing,"  replied  the  former. 

"I  did  not  ask  Him  to  speak,"  replied  the  Woman. 
"All  I  appealed  for  was  the  light  and  it  came,  therefore  I 
know  the  Master  will  help  your  poor  friend." 

"To  think,"  wailed  Aunt  Emma;  "the  best  girl  I 
know.  Why  she  never  said  a  wicked  word  in  all  her  life, 
and  now  to  think  that  the  evil  controls  her."  She  was  too 
much  grieved  and  afraid  to  mention  even  that  wicked 
fellow  controlling  hell. 


Thus  the  silken   fabric  was  twisted  into  a  huge  basket  of  flowers. 

—Page  48. 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS  121 

"Well,"  said  the  Woman  in  a  consoling  tone,  "evil 
always  tries  to  enter  the  good ;  with  the  wicked  it  doesn  't 
have  to  try.  There  evil  influence  always  has  admission,  is 
even  sought.  Christ  had  to  battle  with  the  evil  and  He  won. 
Job  was  ruined  by  evil  but  rewarded  by  God.  When  Solo- 
mon was  troubled  by  evil  spirits,  David  would  play  the 
harp  to  drive  them  away.  This  shows  that  evil  doesn't  like 
harmony.  Our  harmony  is  built  right  in  us,  but  we  lose 
control  of  that  wonderful  harp  called  Nerve  System.  We 
fly  apart,  looking  for  a  hold,  losing  our  main  hold  on  the 
nerve  control.  If,  when  the  great  shock  comes,  like  a  loved 
one  departing,  we  could  only  keep  quiet  and  steadfast.  The 
journey  for  that  loved  one,  called  by  the  Angel  of  Resurrec- 
tion, is  often  interrupted  by  a  loud  shriek  of  an  unreason- 
able member.  The  soul  must  return  and  has  to  labor  all 
over  again,  making  the  response  of,  'Why  did  you  call 
me  back?'  Reason  is  at  such  times  most  important.  If 
they  by  the  bedside  could  see  how  hard  it  is  for  some  of  the 
souls  to  proceed.  In  reproaching,  you  only  draw  a  bitter, 
reproachful  element  in  spirit  and  the  poor  soul  has  to  battle 
with  them." 

"Oh,  my  God,"  said  Aunt  Emma;  "I  can't  think  of  it. 
Why  were  we  ever  born  ? ' ' 

"For  a  purpose,"  replied  the  Woman.  "You  were 
born  to  take  my  place  here  for  a  while  and  I  was  born  to  go 
up  to  your  home  and  help  that  sick  friend  of  yours. ' '  Aunt 
Emma's  eyes  and  mouth  opened  wide,  and  she  stared  at  the 
Woman  quite  speechless. 

"Yes,"  she  continued,  amused  at  the  surprised  girl. 
"How  wonderfully  it  has  all  been  arranged  by  the  divine 
law.  You  had  to  come  and  take  my  place,  so  I  could  go, 
and  I  will  do  so  in  the  morning ;  otherwise  the  poor  girl  will 
be  put  into  an  asylum  and  I  will  lose  the  chance  to  help 
her." 

Mr.  Hilbert  offered  to  take  the  Woman,  but  she  knew 
he  was  too  busy,  so  she  just  let  him  take  her  to  the  ferry  and 
then  went  alone  on  the  train.  He  wanted  to  telegraph  Mrs. 
Hilbert  of  her  coming,  but  she  told  him  it  would  frighten 
the  poor  woman  as  she  always  saw  only  an  evil  omen  in  a 
dispatch.  Unfortunately  some  people  only  resort  to  such 


122  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

ways  of  transmitting  messages  in  times  of  disaster.  In  joy 
they  most  always  refrain  from  circulating  news  hastily, 
which  is  a  great  error  as  it  then  will  have  the  effect  Mrs. 
Hilbert  always  feared. 

It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the  Woman 
climbed  the  big  hill.  She  knew  the  little  white  house  way  up 
from  the  correct  description  Aunt  Emma  gave  her.  Coming 
closer  she  beheld  most  of  the  inhabitants  outside  looking 
toward  the  top  of  the  hill.  She  followed  their  gaze  and  be- 
held some  figures  on  the  highest  point.  One  stood  erect,  the 
others  were  kneeling  on  the  ground  weeping  and  praying. 
The  Woman  hurried  to  the  scene.  Mrs.  Hilbert  recognized 
her  western  friend.  Explaining  to  those  nearest  her  she 
ran  to  meet  the  Woman.  "Oh,"  she  said,  "for  five  days 
that  poor  thing  hasn't  eaten  a  mouthful  of  food.  She  will 
not  even  drink  water  now.  The  Woman  went  into  the  house 
and  asked  for  a  glass  of  water.  Then  escorted  by  her  friend 
they  went  up  to  the  stricken  girl.  There  was  not  a  sign  of 
life  in  that  form  as  it  stood  with  eyes  cast  up. 

"A  lost  soul  has  possession  of  that  body,  trying  to 
redeem  itself, ' '  said  the  Woman.  She  walked  briskly  toward 
the  girl,  spilling  some  of  the  water  in  her  hand  and 
sprinkled  it  over  the  rigid  figure. 

"Now,  I  am  lost,"  they  heard  the  victim  say.  The 
Woman  then  took  the  hand  of  the  girl,  who  slowly  cast  her 
eyes  at  her.  There  was  a  strong  look  from  the  Woman  hold- 
ing that  glance.  Then  she  took  the  glass  and  held  it  up  to 
the  girl's  mouth  and  gave  her  three  swallows,  repeating, 
"In  the  Name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  that  prevails. ' '  There  was  another  look  that  met  her 
eyes,  one  that  told  of  much  anxiety,  but  the  Woman  gave 
her  three  more  swallows,  then  three  more,  repeating  each 
time  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  Then  she  put  her  arm 
around  the  girl's  waist  and  led  her  down  the  steep  hill, 
much  to  the  amazement  of  the  eager  neighbors,  who  were 
all  watching  the  sights  of  Crazy  Mary  as  they  called  her  by 
now.  The  Woman  looked  accusingly  at  them  as  she  passed, 
but  did  not  speak.  Her  look,  however,  seemed  to  say 
enough  for  they  went  home  with  bowed  heads.  She  lead  the 
worn,  staggering  girl  into  the  house,  took  off  her  shoes  that 
had  been  on  for  five  days  as  no  one  could  undress  her, 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS  123 

Then  she  ordered  warm  water  and  put  a  handful  of  salt  in 
the  foot  tub.  In  the  meantime,  she  had  her  dressed  in  a 
clean  nightgown  and  sat  her  on  the  bed,  never  letting  her 
go;  she  always  held  one  hand  on  her  as  if  she  wanted  to 
hold  fast  on  something.  When  they  brought  the  foot  tub 
she  ordered  another  glass  of  water.  While  the  girl  held  her 
feet  in  the  soothing  foot  bath  she  again  gave  her  three 
swallows  of  water.  The  Woman  put  the  glass  with  water 
on  the  left  side  of  the  bed,  asking  a  member  to  cover  it 
with  a  white  kerchief.  She  dried  the  girl's  feet  and 
pushed  the  water  under  the  bed ;  then  she  carefully  laid 
her  down  and  asked  if  there  was  something  blessed  in  the 
house.  They  did  not  know  what  she  meant. 

''Just  a  Bible  or  something,"  the  Woman  explained. 

' '  Oh,  yes, ' '  they  said.  ' '  We  have  mother 's  prayer  book 
here." 

"That's  fine,"  said  the  Woman.  She  opened  it  and 
read  a  while  aloud. 

"My,"  said  one  of  the  sisters,  "that  was  mother's 
favorite  prayer;  if  she  didn't  always  pray  that!"  After 
awhile  the  Woman  closed  the  book  and  laid  it  under  the  pil- 
low of  the  girl,  who  lay  with  closed  eyes  like  one  who  had 
paved  the  last  road  on  life's  journey.  She  then  pulled  the 
bed  from  the  wall  and  slowly 'walked  around  it,  three  times, 
praying  silently.  She  then  opened  the  windows  and  told 
them  all  to  leave  the  room  and  let  the  girl  rest. 

"Oh,"  said  the  brother,  a  big  country  boy,  "we  closed 
the  windows  because  she  wanted  to  jump  out."  The  smile 
that  greeted  him  from  the  strange  woman,  who  had  done 
more  than  all  the  town,  assured  him  that  he  need  not  fear 
because  the  girl  was  in  good  care  now. 

"But  she  is  alone  now,"  he  protested. 

"Oh,  no,"  said  the  Woman,  "you  could  not  count  all 
in  that  room. ' ' 

They  sat  in  the  living  room  and  the  Woman  proved 
that  Mary  was  not  alone  by  naming  all  the  departed  and 
told  them  how  they  passed  out.  It  was  not  the  right  place 
to  tell  such  proofs,  for  some  of  them  walked  out  looking  at 
the  Woman  as  if  she  herself  were  possessed.  Once  in  awhile 
she  would  look  into  the  bedroom  and  find  the  girl  peace- 
fully sleeping.  In  the  evening  they  all  sat  at  the  supper 


124  THE  WAY  OP  THE  WORLD 

table,  Mary  at  her  usual  place,  fussing  about  the  old  rag 
carpet  getting  wrinkled  under  the  chair. 

They  all  sat  on  the  porch  watching  the  sunset,  when 
one  of  the  neighbors  came  over,  making  her  way  straight 
to  Mary,  saying :  ' '  How  are  you  ?  Do  you  know  me  yet  ? ' ' 

The  Woman  just  pushed  her  arm  in  front  of  the  ad- 
vancing busybody,  and  said,  "Who  could  ever  forget  you 
when  once  they  saw  you?" 

There  was  a  fiery,  hateful  look  from  the  neighbor,  who 
was  led  back  to  the  steps  by  the  "brazen,  imposter  of  a 
strange  woman,  who  had  come  to  rule  the  hill,"  she  flung 
back  at  the  Woman.  It  did  not  seem  to  affect  the  stranger, 
however,  she  just  told  her  that  the  show  was  over  and  there 
would  be  no  more  acting  on  Mary's  part ;  that  they,  pointing 
around  the  neighborhood,  would  have  to  look  for  amuse- 
ment elsewhere.  Then  she  left  the  angry  woman,  who  joined 
the  other  gossiping  groups  and  by  the  way  her  hands 
flew  all  agreed  that  if  they  ever  went  through  the  head  of 
anyone  now,  there  would  not  be  much  hair  left. 

Mary's  brother  smiled  all  over  his  broad  face  as  he 
pushed  a  chair  over  for  the  Woman  to  sit  down. 

"Gee,"  he  said,  "that's  the  time  she  got  it,  that  old 
sinner ;  she  had  to  get  the  news  for  the  rest.  Now  she  got 
left  and  it  serves  her  right." 

"She  can't  help  it,"  said  the  Woman;  "she  knows  no 
better.  I  would  not  want  to  live  her  life,  as  she  is  never 
herself,  always  in  other  vibrations,  thus  suffering  with 
others,  not  in  sympathy,  but  in  inquisitiveness. "  Turning 
to  Mrs.  Hilbert  she  told  of  the  trip  to  Coney  Island,  care- 
fully avoiding  Emma's  ride  on  the  Helter  Skelter.  They 
all  laughed,  much  to  the  surprise  of  the  neighbors  who  were 
constantly  on  the  jump,  wondering  what  Crazy  Mary  would 
do  next. 

As  soon  as  the  stars  came  out  the  Woman  told  Mary 
to  take  a  glass  of  milk  and  go  to  bed. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  girl,  "I  am  tired  and  want  to 
sleep."  She  kissed  the  Woman  as  she  left  and  thanked  her 
again  and  again. 

"Funny,"  said  one  of  the  members,  "she  never  calls 
for  mother  any  more  on  the  Ouija." 


THE  SIGN  OP  THE  CROSS  125 

' '  Let  me  see  that  board, ' '  said  the  Woman.  She  looked 
at  it  carefully  and  then  handed  it  to  the  brother  and  told 
him  to  burn  it. 

' '  What  will  the  neighbors  say  if  we  destroy  the  board  ? 
Why  Mary  was  the  only  one  it  worked  for." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  "and  worked  her  almost  into 
her  grave.  If  Mary  had  been  alone  at  it  with  good  thinking 
people  it  would  never  have  harmed  her,  but  there  they 
•Absorbed  all  her  strength  in  having  their  fortunes  told,  and 
thus  in  a  weakened  condition  she  could  not  keep  her  body 
and  soul  together.  In  trying  to  get  her  mother  on  the  board, 
someone  else  tried  to  impersonate  that  loved  one,  just  to 
get  the  sympathy  of  the  victim  and  held  on  to  that  worn- 
out  body,  to  work  out  its  own  salvation.  It  was  never  Mary 
who  said,  'I  am  lost.'  You  all  know  how  her  face  changed 
in  expression  as  her  owrn  self  returned.  That  is  why  so 
many  insane  people  harbor  just  one  mania,  some  for  murder, 
or  religion,  or  for  self-destruction.  Just  note  that  one 
suicide  in  a  family  has  mostly  other  members  follow  in  the 
same  mania  of  self-destruction.  The  spirit  of  the  first  sui- 
cide claims  the  others.  Take,  for  instance,  a  murderer. 
They  seldom  know  what  they  do  when  they  commit  the 
crime.  In  some  cases  it  is  called  temporary  insanity.  They 
are  insane  at  the  time;  they  brood  a  long  time,  then  they 
take  intoxicating  drinks,  in  most  cases  to  deaden  self- 
consciousness,  and  after  the  crime  is  committed  they  wipe 
their  foreheads  and  say:  "My  God,  what  have  I  done?" 

"You  don't  believe  in  capital  punishment?"  asked  one 
of  the  party. 

"No,"  said  the  Woman,  "I  could  not  agree  at  any 
time  on  taking  a  life  for  another. ' ' 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  brother.  "Well,  I  will 
burn  the  darn  thing,  and  if  those  gossips  need  more  for- 
tunes told,  I  will  tell  them  with  a  pitchfork,  by  gum,  rather 
than  have  Mary  act  like  that  again. ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  "if  anyone  wishes  to  com- 
municate with  spirits,  it  is  a  very  dangerous  road  unless 
one  is  well  guided  by  angels.  They  are  ready  but  do  not 
come  unless  we  go  half  way  in  calling  them.  No  prayer  is 
unanswered.  We  get  according  to  our  appeal.  The  Father 


126  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

gave  us  free  will  and  law.  There  is  a  law  sign  on  every 
corner  of  the  mystery  path — 'Beware,'  it  is  called.  If  we 
resort  to  material  ways  of  reaching  into  higher  realms  we 
lose.  Materially,  we  connect  with  earthbound  spirits  who 
never  care  to  elevate." 

"They  must  be  saved,"  said  one. 

"Yes,  they  will  in  time  if  we  just  live  a  good,  whole- 
some life.  They  see  our  freedom  and  want  to  do  the  same. 
This  way  we  will  help  them  more  than  in  giving  them  our 
body  to  corrupt.  If  a  soul  does  not  spare  a  body  and  tor- 
tures the  victim,  then  it  is  not  fit  for  elevation.  Many 
people  get  headaches  at  certain  times;  they  come  quickly 
and  go  the  same  way.  That  is  sometimes  a  soul  entering  a 
body  that  shot  itself  through  the  brain.  As  we  live,  so  we 
die.  Such  a  soul  is  poor  indeed.  It  doesn't  know  where  to 
go,  for  it  has  no  magnetic  compass  to  lead  it  on.  It  violated 
God 's  law  in  self-destruction,  then  the  spirit  remains  around 
hanging  on  some  member  of  the  family  driving  that  one 
also  to  destruction.  In  time,  however,  they  can  manifest 
again  by  getting  new  brain  cells  to  think  and  work  their 
way  toward  salvation. ' ' 

"Gee,"  said  the  brother,  "if  that  is  the  way,  I  would 
never  commit  suicide. ' ' 

"Then  why,"  asked  another,  "did  Jesus  let  Judas 
hang  himself?" 

"He  knew  it  before,"  the  Woman  answered.  "It  was 
the  consequences  of  Judas'  desire  that  led  to  it;  greed  for 
money  made  him  sell  his  Master.  Christ  could  not  prevent 
wages  of  sin ;  He  was  fair. ' ' 

"Then  capital  punishment  ought  to  be  fair,"  said 
the  boy. 

' '  No,  otherwise  Christ  would  not  have  forgiven  the  man 
on  the  cross,"  replied  the  Woman. 

"That's  right,"  said  they. 

"Let's  all  do  the  best  we  can,"  said  the  Woman,  as 
she  rose  to  retire. 

It  was  a  wonderful  night ;  the  stranger  was  led  into  a 
room  facing  the  east.  It  was  furnished  in  white.  The 
lamp  with  its  mellow  light  gave  the  new  inhabitant  a  warm 
welcome.  She  gazed  slowly  around  the  simple  clean  fur- 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS  127 

nishings,  took  up  a  book  to  read  awhile,  and  then  undressed. 
After  blowing  out  the  light  she  opened  a  door  which  led  to 
the  adjoining  room  where  Mary  and  a  sister  had  retired. 
They  called  out,  asking  if  she  was  comfortable. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  guest,  "I  am  very  contented.  It 
is  just  the  spot  where  I  am  lying  that  your  dear  mother 
breathed  her  last. ' ' 

"Gracious  sakes,"  said  Anna,  "who  told  her  that 
mother  died  in  that  room  ?  Now  she  may  not  sleep  well. ' ' 
And  calling  out  she  said,  "Who  told  you  that  mother  died 
there?" 

' '  She  did, ' '  replied  the  Woman. 

"But  you  never  knew  her." 

"I  do  now.  Why  I  just  felt  her  breath  and  I'll  tell 
you  what  she  looks  like. ' '  The  Woman  described  fully  the 
details  of  the  departed  soul,  even  her  teeth ;  that  there  were 
only  three  left  on  the  upper  jaw.  "Now  go  to  sleep  and 
worry  no  more ;  all  is  well.  Your  dear  mother  is  free  to  be 
with  you  any  time,  thanks  to  her  good  way  of  living,"  she 
concluded  and  turned  over  to  sleep. 

A  grateful  look  went  out  toward  the  Maker  and  Keeper 
of  those  stars  that  rules  so  gently  and  fairly.  She  fell 
asleep,  although  a  strange  pillow  would  at  times  keep  her 
awake  all  night,  but  the  good  thoughts  of  those  plain  people 
were  like  balm  in  which  she  slumbered  until  the  first  rays  of 
sunshine  entered  and  greeted  her,  joyously  announcing  one 
more  day  added  to  the  record  of  time  to  do  the  best. 

When  the  folks  came  down  the  Woman  had  already 
gone  for  a  walk. 

"How  strange!  She  is  not  like  other  folks,"  they  re- 
marked as  they  went  about  preparing  breakfast.  Mary 
stood  on  the  porch  with  outstretched  arms  to  greet  the 
Woman  as  she  came  down  the  lane  with  an  armful  of  wild 
flowers.  She  kissed  Mary  and  asked  for  a  vase  to  put  the 
wonderful  creations  of  the  Father  in. 

Then  she  placed  them  before  the  picture  of  their 
spirit  mother,  saying:  "This  is  the  best  monument  you 
can  build  for  her.  Fresh  flowers,  with  a  fresh  memory 
from  all  make  her  stay  with  you  a  happy  one." 

They  went  into  the  dining  room.    The  Woman  walked 


128  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

to  the  place  where  the  mother  used  to  sit  and  said, ' '  Come, 
dear  one,  and  partake  if  thou  still  hast  desire  for  material 
food."  She  folded  her  hands  and  said  grace.  When  she 
finished  they  remarked  how  she  knew  their  mother's  place 
at  the  table. 

"I  saw  her  go  to  it,"  she  answered,  "and  for  awhile 
you  will  have  to  ask  her  to  eat  with  you  until  she  has  over- 
come the  desire  for  food." 

After  breakfast  they  went  out  to  work  in  the  garden, 
and  the  Woman  proved  quite  handy  with  the  hoe.  They  re- 
marked about  it. 

She  smiled  happily  and  said,  "If  people  only  knew  what 
a  benefit  it  gives  the  body  to  do  a  little  exercise  of  this  kind 
in  the  open  air." 

"It  surely  does  seem  to  do  you  good,"  said  Anna, 
"for  you  have  such  nice  pink  cheeks  this  morning.  Last 
night  you  looked  as  pale  as  death." 

"Well,  my  friends,"  replied  the  Woman,  "I  fought 
death.  Insanity,"  she  whispered,  so  Mary  could  not  hear, 
' '  is  an  awful  death  and  doing  such  work  leaves  the  body  in 
a  weak  condition."  She  straightened  up  and  smiled,  say- 
ing: "See,  I  recuperate  very  quickly,  thanks  to  you  good 
people.  I  am  feeling  better  than  I  have  in  a  long  time. 
You  ought  to  be  very  happy  living  in  such  a  wonderfully 
healthful  place  as  this." 

Anna  sighed  and  said,  "The  trouble  in  our  home  is 
that  everyone  is  dissatisfied;  one  holds  on  and  the  other 
won't  let  go;  there  is  fighting  all  the  time."  Looking  to- 
ward the  house  she  said :  "  It  does  look  kind  of  nice.  I  never 
saw  it  so  pretty.  It  seems  you  just  make  it  look  nicer. ' ' 

"  It  is  the  way  with  everything, ' '  said  the  Woman  wist- 
fully. "Take,  for  instance,  a  person  telling  you  about  some- 
one doing  something  evil.  You  may  meet  that  person  after- 
wards and  the  first  thought  that  enters  your  mind  is, '  that 
wicked  person,'  yet  you  never  knew  her  to  do  anything 
wicked,  you  only  heard  it  from  a  gossip  and  believed.  In 
time  the  person  may  appeal  to  you,  and  in  the  course  of 
time  you  yourself  cannot  find  a  trace  of  wickedness,  yet  you 
wait  for  it.  Every  time  you  see  the  poor  soul  you  spring  that 
thought  on  her  and  if  she  is  not  a  positive  nature  she  will 
be  affected  by  your  accusing  thought  and  feel  antagonistic 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS  129 

toward  you  by  treating  you  in  the  same  manner,  thus 
causing  hostility  instead  of  friendship." 

"If  that  isn't  true,"  said  Anna,  the  oldest  of  the 
family.  "And  say,"  she  kept  on  soberly,  "this  town  is  just 
full  of  that  kind — they  never  have  a  good  thought  for  any- 
body. If  a  girl  leaves  town,  she  runs  away ;  if  she  goes  out 
with  a  fellow,  there  is  something  doing  right  then  and  there. 
You  don't  know  what  to  do.  I  always  was  afraid  of  those 
gossips.  That's  why  I  never  had  the  chance  to  marry, 
because  I  did  not  want  them  to  give  me  a  bad  name." 

"Poor  Anna,"  said  the  Woman,  "don't  worry  about 
remaining  single,  the  Father  wished  it  so.  If  you  had  met 
the  right  sort  you  would  not  have  cared  for  anybody's  re- 
mark. Love  has  a  law  of  its  own.  It  builds  its  own 
bridges  and  tears  them  down." 

Looking  down  the  street,  Anna  noticed  the  doctor's 
carriage  and  looked  in  alarm  at  Mary  who  was  busy  pulling 
weeds.  The  "Woman  saw  the  distressed  look  on  Anna 's  face 
and  motioned  her  not  to  disturb  Mary  and  went  down  to 
the  house  with  Anna.  Anna  introduced  the  Woman  to  the 
doctor.  He  made  a  slow  bow,  mumbled  a  few  words  and 
then  looked  at  her  in  a  scrutinizing  manner. 

He  raised  his  brow  and  said,  "I  have  heard  of  you 
from  some  of  the  people  down  below.  By  the  way, ' '  he  kept 
on,  "there  is  another  one  who  said  she  saw  the  devil  up  here 
on  the  hill,  and  that  this  woman  brought  him." 

"Who  was  it?"  inquired  Anna. 

He  thought  a  moment  and  said,  "Why,  Mrs.  Watkins. " 

The  Woman  smiled  and  said,  "Is  it  not  the  one  I  told 
to  leave  last  evening?" 

"Sure,"  answered  Anna,  decidedly.  "How  do  you 
know?" 

"Well,  I  knew  she  would  plant  some  poisonous  seed 
of  some  kind,  but  it  will  dry  up  in  time. ' ' 

The  doctor  ignored  the  Woman  and  asked  to  speak 
with  Anna  alone.  After  a  few  minutes,  the  poor  girl  came 
out  with  an  alarmed  expression  on  her  face  telling  her  that 
the  doctor  had  made  arrangements  to  send  Mary  away. 

In  a  second  the  Woman  stood  before  him  and  said, 
"You  had  better  transfer  to  another  house;  your  work  is 
done  here  at  present." 


130  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

' '  I  am  a  scientific  man,  and  have  no  use  for  your  ghost 
affairs,"  the  doctor  replied. 

"I  did  not  ask  you  to  interest  yourself  in  my  affairs," 
answered  the  Woman,  "but  you  from  your  scientific  point 
of  view  must  prove  that  that  patient  whom  you  declared 
insane  yesterday  is  sane  today.  Therefore  you  must  leave 
her  here." 

"I  want  to  see  her,"  he  said  gruffly. 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  Woman,  leaving  the  room 
and  a  few  minutes  later  returning,  talking  quite  sociably 
with  what  he  called  the  insane  girl.  Mary  walked  over 
and  greeted  the  old  family  friend  as  well  as  physician  in 
a  warm,  cordial  manner.  His  eyes  softened  as  he  stretched 
out  both  hands  to  greet  her.  There  was  a  look  of  satisfac- 
tion on  the  face  of  the  Woman,  as  she  beheld  the  change 
in  the  doctor's  feelings  toward  the  girl. 

He  glanced  at  the  stranger,  she  returned  a  sweet 
smile  and  then  went  over  and  shook  his  hands,  saying, 
"You  see,  dear  doctor,  you  are  a  physician  for  the  body, 
I  am  for  the  soul,"  and  pointing  to  Mary  she  said,  "This 
happened  to  be  my  case." 

He  shook  his  head,  smiling  as  he  sized  her  up  and  said, 
"From  the  way  the  folks  described  you  I  thought  you  had 
the  very  fire  of  hell  in  your  eyes,  and  here  I  find  the  most 
remarkable  little  woman.  Where  did  you  study  this  here — 
a — what  do  you  call  it,  psychic  power  ? ' ' 

' '  I  don 't  know  what  you  could  call  it, ' '  said  the  Woman 
simply.  "I  learned  it  through  experience,  doctor;  Faith 
in  Fate.  Sometimes  I  feel  as  if  I  had  seven  eyes  instead 
of  two  in  my  head. ' ' 

"My,"  said  Anna  enthusiastically,  "she's  been  a-tell- 
in'  us  all  kinds  of  wonderful  things,"  and  with  her  gray 
eyes  glowing  she  related  to  the  doctor  all  that  had  happened 
since  the  strange  friend  arrived. 

Turning  to  the  Woman,  the  doctor  said,  "Who  sent 
you  here?" 

"Jesus  Christ  in  His  mercy,"  answered  the  Woman 
solemnly. 

"How?    Where  did  you  see  Him?" 

"In  Kenwood,  New  Jersey."    A  look  of  mixed  feelings 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS  131 

swept  over  the  queer  stranger,  but  a  candid  smile  answered 
the  assured  truth.  Then  she  told  them  of  the  sitting  in 
communion  for  the  help  of  the  stricken  girl. 

"Have  you  ever  seen  Him  before?" 

' '  I  have,  always,  in  times  when  I  needed  Him  and  called 
Him." 

"  Is  it  possible  ? ' '  said  the  doctor. 

"Why  not?"  answered  the  Woman.  "He  returned 
to  His  disciples  and  remained  with  them  forty  days;  they 
believed  in  Him  and  in  His  return,  and  so  do  I." 

"But,"  said  the  doctor,  raising  his  finger  cautiously, 
' '  cannot  Satan  ever  come  in  form  to  tempt  ? ' ' 

' '  I  never  call  him,  nor  do  I  know  him, ' '  a  slight  frown 
forming  on  her  brow  as  she  spoke.  "It  seems  to  me,"  she 
said  impatiently,  "you  people  mention  the  names  of  evil 
ones  more  often  than  good  ones.  Thus  you  open  the  gates 
for  evil  to  dwell.  If  you  would  only  mention  Christ  in  a 
sacred  way  as  much  as  you  do  the  devil.  But  in  most 
houses  His  name  is  only  used  in  an  oath.  I  tell  you,  doc- 
tor," she  said  gravely,  "scientific  men,  like  you  and 
the  minister,  have  a  great  responsibility.  The  people  de- 
pend upon  you  in  everything;  they  don't  think  for  them- 
selves. You  can  drive  them  like  a  herd  of  sheep." 

"How  do  you  make  that  out?"  he  asked  sharply. 

' '  Well, ' '  she  said  pointing  down  the  street,  ' '  you  came 
here,  after  you  heard  these  people  drag  me  through  the 
mire,  to  persecute  me  also.  You  did  not  know  me,  nor 
were  you  willing  to  meet  me;  you  scorned  me.  After 
finding  out  that  I  spent  my  money  to  come  here,  leaving 
my  child,  to  help  a  distressed  sister  of  mine,  without  charge ; 
just  because  I  was  sent  to  answer  a  prayer  that  these  good 
people  sent  to  heaven.  I  had  enough  sympathy  in  man- 
kind to  tackle  even  what  they  call  a  devil  with  just  a  heav- 
enly gain  in  view." 

' '  Have  you  a  husband  ? "  he  asked,  interested.  ' '  I  hear 
you  have  a  child." 

"No,"  she  answered. 

"Dead?" 

"No." 

"Divorced?" 


132  THE  WAY  OP  THE  WORLD 

"Yes." 

"Does  Christ  believe  in  divorce?"  he  kept  on,  think- 
ing of  taking  some  weapons  out  of  her. 

"Yes,"  she  said  without  losing  any  of  her  poise.  "He 
believes  in  anything  that  is  wholesome.  A  sinful  married 
life  makes  sinful  children.  They  are  bred  in  such  environ- 
ment and  can 't  help  the  instinct  and  desire  born  in  them. ' ' 

"When  does  that  start?"  he  kept  on  amused. 

"At  the  time  of  conception,"  she  answered. 

"You're  right  there,"  he  said.  "If  parents  lived  a 
more  harmonious  life  there  would  not  be  much  for  physi- 
cians to  do." 

"Don't  you  think,  doctor,  that  a  lot  of  ailments  origi- 
nate from  lack  of  harmony,  worry  and  imagination?" 

' '  Oh,  yes, ' '  he  said  slowly,  looking  at  Mary  in  a  fatherly 
way  as  he  stroked  his  beard.  "Mary,  you  certainly  look 
different  than  you  did  yesterday  at  this  time. ' ' 

' '  See, ' '  said  the  Woman,  ' '  there  was  nothing  used  but 
clear  water.  Christ  had  great  faith  in  it.  I  have,  for  the 
way  I  studied  it  out  is  this :  that  it  is  the  only  thing  that 
falls  from  the  sky  above  to  keep  us  alive,  the  only  thing 
we  cannot  duplicate  or  live  without,  so  I  just  use  it  in 
faith  of  healing  virtue. ' ' 

' '  I  never  thought  of  it  in  that  way, ' '  he  said,  thought- 
fully. 

"But  you  agree  there  is  something  in  it?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  he  replied. 

For  the  first  time,  Mary  spoke  and  turning  to  the 
doctor  she  remarked  how  good  that  foot  bath  had  been 
that  the  Woman  gave  her  the  night  before. 

"No  wonder,"  said  Anna,"  she  did  not  have  her  shoes 
off  for  five  days." 

"Well,"  said  the  doctor,  "it  started  the  blood  to  cir- 
culating. ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  Mary,  "it  seemed  as  if  all  the  tired 
heaviness  left  me  as  I  put  my  feet  into  it." 

"Well,  do  it  every  night,  Mary,"  he  said  in  a  jovial 
voice  and  turning  to  the  Woman  said,  "If  you  find  time 
come  and  see  us ;  my  wife  would  be  glad  to  meet  you. ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  Anna,  "she  could  do  your  wife  lota  of 
good  by  telling  her  of  Richard." 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  "since  that  boy  was  drowned,  wife 
has  never  been  the  same,"  and  he  left  remarking  that  he 
had  many  morning  calls  to  make  before  the  noon  office 
hours.  Passing  by  the  Woman  as  he  went  out  he  said, 
"I  am  not  a  bit  sorry  over  the  delay  and  hope  to  see 
you  soon." 

"Will  be  very  happy  to  call,"  answered  the  stranger, 
waving  another  good-by. 

It  was  getting  too  hot  to  work  in  the  garden.  Mrs. 
Delien  had  dinner  with  Emma's  folks  but  had  promised  to 
bring  Mrs.  Hilbert  for  supper.  Either  the  doctor  or  the 
Woman  seemed  to  have  worked  a  miracle  on  the  hill,  as 
soon  one  after  another  of  the  neighbors  passed  the  house, 
looking  interested,  not  inquisitive,  as  they  politely  in- 
quired how  things  were.  The  Woman  greeted  them  in  a 
loving  way. 

"Why,"  said  one  neighbor,  "one  would  think  to 
talk  to  her  that  we  had  known  her  all  our  lives." 

Mrs.  Delien  visited  the  doctor  and  found  the  wife 
to  be  a  very  sad,  sweet  woman.  After  the  test  she  asked  if 
it  would  not  be  a  good  idea  to  hold  a  meeting  on  the  hill  for 
all  to  see  her  work.  She  looked  concerned  as  she  went  on 
to  say  that  her  visit  was  limited  and  that  she  must  return 
soon. 

It  was  arranged  and  on  the  fourth  day  they  held  a 
meeting.  The  doctor  and  his  wife  attended,  giving  the  rest 
of  the  people  a  feeling  of  encouragement  for  they  had 
faith  in  whatever  he  said. 

When  all  were  assembled,  the  Woman  rose,  folded  her 
hands,  looked  up  and  prayed  ardently.  Tears  of  gladness 
ran  over  her  cheeks  as  she  thanked  the  Almighty  Father  for 
His  grace  in  bringing  so  many  of  His  children  together  in 
love  and  harmony.  Some  of  them  also  wept ;  others  would 
carefully  watch  each  other  saying:  "My  God!  She  prays 
like  a  minister. ' '  After  prayer  she  spoke  to  them  of  good 
thought. 

"See,"  she  said  sadly,  "unfortunately,  I  came  to  you 
unannounced.  If  the  dear  doctor  had  known  and  told  you 
about  my  mission  in  advance  you  all  would  have  received 
me  gladly.  In  distress,  with  evil  environments,  you  saw 


134  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

in  me  evil.  But,"  she  stretched  out  her  arms  smilingly 
and  went  on,  "I  came  in  faith,  sent  by  our  Father  who  is 
in  heaven  and  on  earth  and  found  you,  when  evil  was  over- 
come by  my  blessing  and  loving  thoughts.  A  good  seed 
will  thrive  and  it  shows  you  all  are  good  soil.  Bless  you ! 
Just  a  misunderstanding  creates  all  evil.  We  unfortunately 
judge  from  our  own  standpoint;  the  way  we  feel,  not  the 
way  they  deserve.  Did  not  Christ,  our  Master,  say,  '  Judge 
not,  that  ye  be  not  judged?'  We  build  our  monuments 
with  stones  of  kindness." 

She  laid  her  hand  on  Mary's  shoulder,  saying,  "Here 
is  your  transmitter,  no  longer  with  a  board,  but  just  in 
prayer."  She  turned  out  the  light  and  told  them  the 
reason;  also  how  she  came  to  bring  God's  blessing  to  all. 
"It  was  in  a  circle  of  this  kind  when  the  cross  arose  and 
the  Voice  said  to  come  here.  I  came  in  faith  and  stood  your 
rebuke  because  I  had  the  patience  through  the  unseen  power 
behind  me.  You  all  know,  my  sisters  and  brothers,  that 
before  even  Christ  was  born,  there  were  prophecies  of  His 
coming  and  He  came.  Moses  went  up  on  Mount  Sinai  to 
talk  with  God  and  brought  back  the  Ten  Commandments, 
which  we  all  know  today.  After  Moses  came  from  the 
Mount  he  was  filled  with  power  and  by  hitting  with  his 
stick  on  the  rock  he  performed  the  miracle  of  the  water, 
thus  proving  to  the  discontented  Israelites  the  power  God 
gave  him  that  was  greater  than  the  golden  calf.  But 
Moses  went  to  God  in  faith,  because  he  loved  his  people 
and  knew  if  he  appealed  the  Almighty  Power  would  charge 
him  full  of  strength  to  perform  and  he  did.  There  is  not 
a  breath  or  a  sigh  in  vain,  all  doings  are  registered  in  the 
Book  of  Life.  You,  my  friends,  would  not  say  things  about 
others  in  their  presence  that  is  underhanded  and  cowardly. 
Yet  we  are  never  alone.  God's  breath  is  always  with  us, 
otherwise  we  could  not  live.  I  will  prove  that  to  you  now 
although  you  are  seemingly  alone  with  material  eye. ' '  She 
then  pointed  around  the  room  and  called  by  name  some 
of  the  strangers  she  had  never  seen  before,  and  told  them  of 
some  departed  loved  one,  naming  them  also.  In  a  natural, 
simple  way  she  uttered  at  times  dying  words  of  a  depart- 
ing soul,  even  in  their  dialect  and  voice. 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS  135 

She  reached  each  one,  then  said,  ' '  Now  we  will  test  the 
psychic  powers  of  the  individuals."  She  sat  down  and 
began  to  sing,  "Nearer  My  God  to  Thee,"  in  a  very  low 
voice.  Soon  they  all  joined.  As  they  sang  lights  began 
to  flit  around.  Sometimes  between  the  song  one  could  hear 
a  quick,  excited  exclamation  of,  "Oh,  my  God!"  It  was 
when  one  of  the  lights  would  reach  toward  her  face.  When 
they  finished  singing  the  Woman  explained  the  meaning 
of  the  lights. 

' '  They  belong  to  you, ' '  she  said,  ' '  so  divinely  arranged 
that  you  cannot  be  offended.  Each  light  is  a  loved  one; 
the  white  lights  are  angels,  holy  lights.  They  live  in  the 
highest  realms.  The  blue  lights  are  deity.  Mothers  most 
have  them  that  have  crossed  the  Mountain  of  Patience." 

The  doctor  said,  "I  saw  a  golden  light;  it  rested  on 
your  head." 

"It  is  the  light  of  good  deeds;  in  giving  to  you,  I 
receive  in  return  from  your  loved  ones  departed, ' '  she  said. 
"You,  doctor,"  she  kept  on,  "will  some  day  have  a  golden 
light,  for  you  are  constantly  giving  to  mankind,  if  you  do 
not  harbor  too  much  material  gain." 

"How  is  that?"  he  asked. 

"In  giving  to  the  sick  good  cheer,  attention,  sympa- 
thy, as  well  as  medical  aid,  you  get  the  constant  thought  of 
the  patient,  at  times  the  admiration  from  the  whole  family, 
and  those  thoughts  are  golden  beams.  By  each  good  deed  we 
add  a  golden  vein  into  our  system.  Gold  radiates,  thus 
causing  a  wonderful  vibration  that  makes  halos  around 
your  heads." 

"That's  a  nice  way  of  looking  at  it,"  said  the  doctor, 
satisfied. 

"Oh,"  said  Mary,  for  the  first  time,  "I  saw  most 
wonderful  faces  with  such  laughing,  beaming  eyes." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  Woman,  "that  is  your  band 
of  guides,  to  shield  you,  my  dear,  henceforth.  But  you 
must  never  try  to  communicate  unless  in  a  circle  of  this 
kind,  where  you  are  materially  protected  and  never  open 
unless  in  prayer.  Evil  does  not  like  prayer.  It  is  therefore 
a  wonderful  weapon  of  protection.  We  are  all  protected  by 
a  shell.  If  you  look  toward  the  sun,  you  will  note  at  a 


136  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

distance  flitting  lights,  sometimes  near,  other  times  far 
away.  Only  spirits  divine  should  open  and  enter.  In  dis- 
tress we  tear  that  shell  apart  and  lose  at  times  our  reason, 
then  someone  else  enters  and  controls  that  body  mechanism 
and  you  are  as  though  in  a  stupor  or  dream,  roaming  about 
without  a  hold.  Many  people  who  start  with  spiritualism, 
and  are  eager  to  demonstrate  these  mysterious  powers  at  a 
time  when  they  are  not  protected,  invoke  the  wrong  kind 
of  controller — earthdwellers  who  know  not  how  to  elevate. 
They  bring  such  eager  mediums  into  the  asylum." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  doctor. 

"Now,"  continued  the  instructor,  "I  wish  your  friend 
here,"  pointing  to  the  physician,  "would  sit  each  week  at 
this  hour  with  you.  If  he  should  be  detained  by  a  patient, 
then  just  sit  with  him  in  mind,  attending  to  protect  you. 
And  please,  no  more  Ouija  Board.  It  is  good  enough  for  a 
person  who  has  great  will  power  and  keeps  a  certain  time 
that  the  guides  know,  to  come  and  protect.  I  want  Mary 
to  write  me  how  you  get  along  and  please  keep  harmony 
above  all,  for  bad  conditions  in  thought-vibration  are  like 
poison  in  a  sitting." 

Anna  then  spoke  of  a  message  Mary  once  received  on 
the  board,  about  a  neighbor  getting  killed  in  a  barn,  and 
rushing  to  the  place  found  that  very  person  eating  his 
supper  very  much  alive  and  happy. 

"It  was  a  very  low  soul;  they  lie  like  people  just  to 
pass  the  time,  and  when  the  trouble  is  done  they  go  else- 
where. But  if  you  all  pray  earnestly  and  sing,  no  one  but 
a  wholesome  guide  can  administer."  She  then  closed  the 
meeting,  shaking  hands  with  all  those  who  only  a  few 
days  before  meant  to  burn  her  at  the  stake  as  a  witch. 

She  remained  seven  days,  then  returned  to  the  home 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hilbert.  Mary  carried  her  suit-case  and 
most  of  the  hill  people  were  at  the  station  waving  her  a 
happy  journey  and  to  be  sure  and  come  back  soon,  telling 
her  they  needed  her  to  teach  them  more. 

"You  must  find  that  just  as  I  did,"  she  called  back, 
with  a  happy  smile  and  grateful  look  at  them  all,  as  the 
train  pulled  out  of  the  station. 

It  was  evening  when  she  arrived  at  Kenwood.    Ronile 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  CROSS  137 

was  near  the  car  watching  if  her  mother  was  there  and 
jumped  with  joy  as  she  ran  toward  her. 

' '  Oh,  my  darling  mother,  I  missed  you  so, ' '  she  cried. 

"Yes,  sweetheart,  I  was  so  busy  I  did  not  get  time  to 
think  strong  enough  to  take  that  longing  from  you.  But 
I  thought  strong  on  the  way  coming;  that  is  why  you  are 
here  to  meet  me." 

"Yes,"  said  Ronile,  "it  is  the  first  time  I've  come 
to  the  car.  Did  you  have  a  good  time,  mother,  dear?" 

"Splendid,  and  you?" 

' '  Oh,  just  fine !    I  taught  Victor  a  new  trick,  mother. ' ' 

"My,  Mr.  Forster  must  be  very  much  pleased." 

"Yes,  mother,  he  gives  me  flowers  every  day." 

Emma  was  just  coming  out  of  the  back  door  with 
chicken  feed.  She  dropped  it  on  the  steps  as  she  saw  the 
Woman  coming  along. 

"Oh,  you  wizard,  what  did  you  do  up  there?  I  am 
getting  letters  from  everybody  raving  about  you. ' ' 

"They  are  not  so  wild  as  to  rave,  Emma,"  said  Mrs. 
Deli  en,  smiling. 

"I  mean  they  are  in  love  with  you.  Anna  writes 
all  the  men  are  wild  about  you.  Yes,  you  bewitched  them. ' ' 

"Oh,  a  love  divine,  not  passion,"  she  concluded  as  she 
went  upstairs  to  prepare  for  supper.  Coming  back  to  the 
table  she  greeted  Mr.  Hilbert,  who  was  all  smiles  at  her 
wonderful  success  as  he  called  it.  She  took  the  glass  of 
water  and  held  it  up  telling  each  to  do  the  same. 

Then  Ronile  said  grace,  adding  a  little  more  to  the 
usual  prayer  of  "Dear  Lord,  thank  you  for  bringing  mother 
back  safely." 

She  told  all  to  take  three  swallows.  ' '  Perhaps  the  divine 
blessing  is  still  with  me  and  you  will  all  feel  the  benefit." 

After  supper  she  told  them  that  they  would  sit  home  on 
the  same  evening  to  give  the  others,  up  there  in  Pensy, 
strength.  Thus  the  summer  passed.  Mrs.  Hilbert  came 
home,  glad  to  attend  the  sittings.  She  told  them  how  it 
improved  all  of  them  and  that  the  doctor  was  not  so  busy 
any  more,  claiming  that  the  people  were  healthier,  but  he 
did  not  mind  as  he  was  getting  too  old,  anyway.  The 
Judge  had  less  to  do  but  the  churches  were  filled  every 
Sunday. 


138  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"My,  you  ought  to  keep  this  work  up,  it  helps  mankind 
so  much,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert. 

School  began  and  the  Woman  considered  Ronile's 
chances  of  advancement;  also  her  own  career.  She  told 
her  friends  about  her  plan  of  going  back  to  New  York, 
as  she  must  earn  money. 

"See  here,"  said  Mr.  Hilbert,  "why  don't  you  do  that 
work  here?  I'll  get  up  a  class  for  you." 

"And  I'll  pass  the  hat  around  and  do  the  collecting 
and,  by  gosh,  the  ones  that  give  less  than  a  quarter,  I'll 
stab  with  a  hat  pin,"  said  Ruth. 

"Same  old  Ruth,"  said  the  Woman  laughing.  "No, 
my  dear  friends,  this  is  soul  work,  I  cannot  collect  for  that. 
Christ  did  not  and  I  can't." 

"But  you  earn  it,"  said  Mr.  Hilbert. 

"Well,"  said  the  Woman,  "if  the  Master  tells  me, 
I  will  stay."  They  sat  that  evening  and  the  Woman  re 
ceived  the  answer  to  go,  which  she  did. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
THE  POWEB  OF  THE   THIRD   EYE 

Two  more  years  have  passed.  Ronile  was  quite  a  big 
girl  of  ten  with  golden  brown  curls.  She  attended  school 
every  day.  They  lived  near  Central  Park,  where  early  in 
the  morning  they  strolled  before  breakfast,  and  after  supper 
hastened  down  to  the  pond  to  feed  the  ducks,  looking  very 
happy.  One  day  Ronile  came  running  home  in  great  ex- 
citement, saying  a  man  had  followed  her. 

"What  did  he  look  like?"  asked  the  anxious  mother. 

"Oh,  he  was  short,  stubby  and  wanted  to  talk  to  me 
but  I  ran  fast  and  went  into  the  house  at  No.  42  and  ran 
over  the  roof  to  No.  6  to  lead  him  wrong. ' ' 

' '  That  was  very  clever,  dear, ' '  said  the  mother,  as  she 
stroked  her  hair.  "Calm  yourself,  dear,  you  shall  belong 
to  God  and  me  as  long  as  you  wish." 

Ronile  threw  her  arms  around  her  mother's  neck  and 
pleaded, ' '  You  would  never  give  me  away,  mother  dear  ? ' ' 

' '  Never, ' '  answered  the  mother. 

Going  to  the  park  in  the  evening  they  saw  a  man  of 
that  description  standing  before  No.  42.  Ronile  quickly 
took  her  mother 's  hand  and  stammered,  ' '  There  he  is ! " 

"Don't  worry,  dear,  it  is  only  your  father's  brother. 
I  do  not  know  why  they  want  to  waste  time  watching." 

Ronile  shivered.  It  w7as  cold,  yet  the  Woman  felt  it  to 
be  mere  nervousness.  She  walked  toward  the  man,  instead 
of  running  from  him,  and  asked  him  what  he  wanted  hang- 
ing around  that  neighborhood. 

When  he  saw  the  Woman  he  ran  down  toward  Colum- 
bus Avenue,  shouting,  ' '  We  '11  get  her  yet. ' ' 

The  next  morning  she  looked  out  of  the  window  before 
Ronile  left  for  school  and  beheld  the  two  brothers,  one 
on  each  corner,  and  an  automobile  a  few  houses  below  in 
which  another  man  sat,  looking  over  at  the  house  they  lived 
in.  Coming  back  to  Ronile,  she  looked  quite  pale  and  told 
her  not  to  go  to  school  as  is  was  not  wise  to  risk  it.  Then 
she  telephoned  to  the  teacher  explaining  Ronile 's  absence. 


140  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

The  principal  told  the  Woman  that  a  man  had  been  there 
the  day  before  claiming  Ronile,  saying  he  was  her  father. 

"I  will  take  her  west,"  replied  the  Woman.  "Please 
send  her  transfer  to  Chicago,"  giving  her  address  there. 

The  principal  assured  Mrs.  Delien  of  her  sympathy 
and  regret  at  losing  such  a  splendid  pupil. 

"Well,"  said  the  Woman,  "we  wanted  to  go  for  the 
World's  Fair  anyway;  it  takes  a  long  time  to  make  my 
exhibit." 

"I  hope  to  see  you  there  next  summer,"  replied  the 
teacher. 

"Just  come  to  the  State  Normal  School.  You  will 
find  us  through  that  as  I  will  enter  Ronile  there.  Good 
luck,  thank  you,"  answered  the  Woman,  and  hanging  up 
the  receiver,  she  clasped  Ronile  in  her  arms,  saying,  "Deary, 
sunshine  and  flowers  await  us;  we  are  going  back."  She 
telephoned  her  address  to  the  different  places  of  business 
and  ordered  her  reservations  at  the  railroad  station.  Then 
they  packed  for  two  days,  watching  with  amusement  the 
two  men  at  the  corner. 

At  10  P.  M.  she  took  Ronile  along  with  a  well-packed 
suit-case,  and  went  to  Kenwood,  telephoning  ahead.  The 
snow  was  too  high  for  an  automobile,  so  they  took  a  car, 
arriving  after  midnight.  Everybody  was  up,  even  Austin, 
looking  at  Ronile  like  one  arisen  from  the  grave. 

"Gee,"  he  said,  "that's  like  a  story  when  you  get 
kidnapped. ' ' 

Ruth  stood  there  with  both  hands  resting  on  her  hips, 
saying,  "You  just  leave  her  to  me.  Jack,  my  feller '11 
break  every  bone  in  his  body  if  he  ever  gets  around  here." 

"Who  is  Jack?"  asked  the  Woman. 

"Oh,  met  him  at  High  School.  He  is  head  of  the 
baseball  team  and  some  beau.  I  wanted  Ronile  to  come  and 
be  flower  girl  at  my  wedding,"  said  Ruth,  pouting,  "and 
now  you  are  going  away." 

"Well,"  said  her  father,  "you  are  not  going  to  marry 
yet;  your  mother  needs  you." 

"We  are  only  going  to  stay  eighteen  months,  then  we 
will  come  back,"  said  the  Woman.  "After  a  world's  fair 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  THIRD  EYE  141 

it  is  better  to  leave  as  business  somehow  always  slackens 
up.  Anyhow,  we  are  going  to  get  our  laurels." 

She  left  Ronile  with  her  friends,  and  went  back  to 
finish  up  some  business. 

"Oh,  but  perhaps  they  will  steal  you,  mother  dear." 

"No,  my  darling,  they  don't  want  me  or  you,  either, 
it  is  only  spite." 

Two  days  later  the  Hilberts  brought  Ronile  over  to  the 
station  where  they  met  the  Woman. 

Ruth  said,  after  kissing  her,  "Were  you  afraid  we 
would  not  bring  her?" 

"No,  I  knew  you  would." 

It  was  time  to  leave  and  Mr.  Hilbert  shaking  hands 
again  told  the  friend  not  to  hesitate  if  she  ever  needed 
anything.  "What's  ours  is  yours,  you  know,"  he  said,  as 
they  slowly  pulled  out  of  the  station  to  start  on  the  journey 
toward  another  end  of  existence. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
WHEKE  SUNSHINE  AND   GLADNESS  COMBINE 

In  Chicago  they  had  a  real  good  time  for  a  week.  Then 
they  took  the  Golden  State  Limited,  saying  in  a  letter  to 
the  folks  in  Nebraska  that  they  would  visit  them  on  the 
way  back.  "We  take  a  different  route  each  time  on  account 
of  geography, ' '  she  told  them.  In  El  Paso  they  wrote  postal 
cards. 

"Land  sakes, "  said  Mrs.  Hilbert  on  receiving  one 
of  the  cards,  ' '  we  read  every  day  of  those  savage  Mexicans 
robbing  trains.  Austin, ' '  she  called  out  as  he  went  upstairs 
to  bed,  ' '  don 't  forget  to  pray  for  Ronile  and  her  mother. ' ' 

"All  right,  ma,  I  won't,  for  I  want  her  to  come  back 
and  bring  me  a  pair  of  chappes  and  a  real  cowboy  outfit. ' ' 

Ronile  clapped  her  hands  in  glee  at  the  first  sight  of 
the  orange  trees.  There  were  blossoms  and  fruit — such 
a  difference  from  what  they  had  left  in  the  East.  They 
stopped  a  few  days  in  Los  Angeles  to  warm  up,  as  the 
Woman  said,  making  trips  to  Hollywood,  Laurel  Canyon, 
Beverly  Hills  and  Pasadena.  It  was  all  so  wonderful !  But 
duty  came  first,  so  they  went  to  San  Francisco  without 
further  delay.  The  trunks  had  arrived  ahead  of  them  and 
in  claiming  them  they  told  the  Woman  that  there  were 
charges  of  thirty-two  dollars  and  eighty-three  cents  for  ex- 
cess weight.  She  said  it  was  not  possible  as  she  had  paid 
it  all  in  New  York.  She  looked  at  her  money  and  saw 
that  she  did  not  have  a  great  deal  left.  Then  she  told 
the  agent  of  the  railroad  station  that  she  would  find  her 
receipt  from  New  York.  She  could  not  find  the  receipt  in 
her  purse  and  thought  perhaps  she  had  lost  it  at  the  station 
in  New  York  when  she  was  saying  good-by  to  her  friends. 
She  felt  that  she  would  not  be  able  to  pay  five  dollars  a  week 
for  a  room  if  she  was  forced  to  pay  the  extra  charges  on 
the  trunks.  They  walked  around  near  a  school  on  Haight 
Street.  The  Woman  prayed,  "Lead  Thou  Me  On."  They 
walked  down  Webster  Street  and  saw  a  "For  Rent"  sign  in 
a  window  of  a  house  on  a  sunny  corner  of  the  street.  They 
went  in  and  rented  the  room  adjoining  the  parlor. 


SUNSHINE  AND  GLADNESS  COMBINE       143 

"Oh,  a  piano!"  said  Ronile. 

' '  Can  you  play  ? ' '  asked  the  nice  Spanish  landlady. 

' '  May  I  show  you  ? ' '  asked  the  eager  girl. 

"Yes,  do,"  replied  the  lady.  So  Ronile  sat  down  and 
played  off  two  dollars  of  the  rent  and  herself  into  the  good 
woman's  heart.  She  told  them  her  folks  were  out  all  day 
and  she  was  lonesome.  A  child  was  very  welcome  as  it 
made  the  place  lively.  So  they  paid  ten  dollars  a  month 
and  fifty  cents  for  the  dinner  each  day,  Mrs.  Delien  plan- 
ning to  cook  the  rest  of  their  meals  herself. 

"We  are  getting  ready  for  the  fair  and  hope  as  soon 
as  I  get  my  trunk  to  begin  and  work,"  said  the  Woman, 
"and  this  sunny  room  overlooking  Twin  Peaks  and  the 
Mission  gave  me  great  courage  to  begin. ' ' 

There  was  Alfred,  the  son,  who  went  to  school.  He 
came  home  first  and  then  the  daughter  Frances  came  home. 
She  was  a  smiling,  sweet  girl  of  eighteen,  and  they  seemed 
happy  to  surprise  their  Dad  when  he  came  home.  They 
all  sat  at  the  table  when  he  entered. 

"Hello,  what's  this,"  said  he,  kissing  his  women,  as 
he  called  them. 

"Our  new  members,"  said  Amelia,  his  wife. 

"I  did  not  know  you  had  a  sign  out,  woman?"  said 
the  frank  westerner. 

"Well,  it  wasn't  out  two  minutes,  when  they  came  in 
and  took  the  room,"  said  the  wife. 

"We  liked  you  and  the  piano,"  said  Ronile. 

"Well,  I  hope  you  will  like  us  all,"  remarked  Mr. 
Lesser,  "for  since  Frances  has  grown  up,  we  have  missed 
having  a  little  girl  around." 

When  he  sat  down  to  eat  Ronile  folded  her  hands  and 
said  grace.  First  they  were  all  startled,  then  bowed  their 
heads,  listening  to  this  strange  little  girl  praying.  It  was 
not  customary  for  them  to  do  so.  After  she  had  finished, 
she  began  to  eat  the  delicious  tuna  salad,  saying,  "I  like 
that  too,"  then  looking  around  the  table  she  said,  "I  love 
you  all,  you  are  such  nice  people." 

During  the  dinner  the  Woman  told  Mr.  Lesser  about 
the  extra  charges  on  her  trunks  and  that  she  could  not 
find  the  receipt  for  the  money  she  had  paid  in  the  east. 


144  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"I'll  pray  to  St.  Anthony,  mother,  he  will  help  us!" 
said  Ronile,  with  a  wistful  look. 

After  dinner  Ronile  went  and  brought  back  the  heavy 
winter  coat  belonging  to  her  mother,  and  reaching  into  the 
pocket  she  found  the  receipt. 

"See,  here  it  is,"  she  cried.  "You  are  good  luck  to 
us,"  said  Ronile,  meaning  the  Lesser  family. 

Next  morning,  they  went  to  order  the  trunks  brought 
to  the  house.  They  had  to  look  around  as  other  baggage 
was  piled  in  front.  Ronile  climbed  over  some  but  could 
not  find  them.  One  of  the  men  said,  ' '  They  have  been  put 
into  the  other  building." 

Going  up  the  steps  Ronile  slipped  and  fell  on  the  floor 
crying  about  her  leg.  The  mother  picked  her  up  and  saw 
a  large  wound  on  the  shin  cut  deep  into  the  bone.  The 
sight  of  the  wound  robbed  her  of  her  senses  and  she  fell 
back  in  a  faint.  An  express  wagon  was  called,  on  which  the 
mother  and  child  were  loaded  and  they  were  taken  to  the 
Emergency  Hospital,  where  they  were  given  attention. 

In  the  evening  when  Mr.  Lesser  came  home  he  looked 
around  for  Ronile,  and  not  seeing  her  he  ran  into  the 
kitchen  with  an  alarmed  expression,  saying:  "I  knew  it, 
Molly !  If  I  didn  't  think  it  was  our  little  woman  and  girlie 
that  Jim  was  telling  me  about  getting  hurt  this  morning." 

Mrs.  Lesser  dropped  the  cooking  spoon  and  grabbed 
her  husband  by  the  shoulder,  crying:  "What!  You  mean 
they  were  hurt?  No  wonder  I  was  so  nervous  all  day.  I 
just  could  not  get  away  from  the  window  and  every  jitney 
that  came  up  the  hill  I  felt  they  must  be  in.  Oh,  my  God ! 
Where  are  they?" 

"Now,  see  here,  woman,  it  ain't  goin'  to  help  them 
or  you  to  whine  around,"  patting  his  wife  gently  on  the 
cheek,  then  ran  to  the  phone,  calling  out,  "Oh,  ma,  where 
are  the  nickels  or  slugs  for  that  phone?" 

There  was  quite  a  tumult  in  the  Lesser  household. 
Alfred  reproached  his  mother  for  not  buying  him  the  bicycle 
he  had  wanted,  saying,  "I  could  spin  around  to  the  different 
hospitals  in  a  jiffy." 

"Yes,"  said  Frances,  choking  down  a  sob,  "and  break 
your  neck,  up  and  down  these  hills. ' ' 


SUNSHINE  AND  GLADNESS  COMBINE       145 

After  pushing  the  third  nickel  in  the  slot,  Mr.  Lesser 
came  over  hastily  reaching  for  his  coat,  saying,  "They  are 
in  the  German  Hospital  right  up  here.  So  long,"  as  he 
hastily  went  toward  the  door;  "hold  the  dinner,  woman, 
I  '11  be  back  soon. ' ' 

Alfred  looked  a  minute,  then  ran  after  his  father,  say- 
ing, "I  can't  eat  now;  no  use  staying  home,  anyway,"  he 
mumbled  to  himself  as  he  hastened  to  catch  up  with  his 
father,  "dinner  wouldn't  taste  the  same.  I  just  love  to 
watch  that  kid  pray  before  she  eats." 

At  Dubois  Avenue,  Alfred  reached  his  father.  They 
walked  hastily  up  the  hill,  each  one  busy  with  his  own 
thoughts.  Thus  they  arrived  almost  breathless  at  the  hos- 
pital where  they  were  led  into  a  ward,  toward  the  end  of 
which  they  beheld  a  woman  sitting  at  the  bedside  of  a  sleep- 
ing child.  Her  eyes  were  cast  out  of  the  window  into  space. 
Her  face  was  very  white.  The  nurse  told  the  visitors  that 
the  Woman  had  sat  there  in  the  same  position  for  hours, 
but  that  the  little  girl  was  doing  very  nicely  and  was 
rapidly  recovering  from  the  effects  of  the  ether. 

Mr.  Lesser  touched  the  Woman  gently  on  the  shoulder, 
saying,  trying  to  hide  the  husky  feeling  in  his  throat  which 
arose  at  the  sight  of  his  pale  little  friend  who  had  just 
come  into  their  household  by  divine  law,  "Now  that's  the 
way  you  try  to  play  hooky  on  Molly's  dinner,  by  getting 
into  another  boarding  house." 

Alfred  stood  gazing  at  the  sleeping  little  friend  who 
seemed  to  turn  slightly  at  the  sound  of.  Mr.  Lesser 's  voice. 

"Papa  don't  talk  so  loud,  you  will  wake  her  up," 
whispered  the  boy  to  his  father. 

The  Woman  laid  her  hand  on  Mr.  Lesser 's  hand  as 
he  stroked  her  shoulder,  and  turning  to  him  she  looked  him 
full  in  the  face,  saying,  "I  wanted  to  call  you  up  but  did 
not  know  it  was  so  late." 

"Is  her  leg  broken?" 

"I  hardly  think  so,  Mr.  Lesser,  but — "  the  Woman 
held  her  hands  over  her  face  and  shivered,  then  pointing 
to  Ronile  she  stammered,  with  dry  lips,  "There  was  such 
a  deep  hole  in  the  bone." 

"Oh,"  said  he,  with  an  easier  feeling,  "if  the  bone 


146  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

is  not  broken,  I'll  carry  her  right  home."  He  turned  to 
his  son  and  told  him  to  go  right  home  and  tell  his  mother 
to  get  the  folding  bed  down. 

Alfred  looked  once  more  toward  Ronile,  who  slowly 
opened  her  eyes,  trying  to  collect  herself,  then  she  returned 
the  smile  of  her  new  friend,  who  stooped  over  her  saying, 
"Want  to  come  home,  honey?" 

Ronile  looked  around  and  saw  the  big,  good  man,  then 
her  mother  and  the  different  beds,  then  reached  out  her 
arms  to  him. 

He  bent  over  and  patted  her  hands,  saying:  "I  knew 
she  wanted  me  to  carry  her  home.  Won't  we  surprise 
Frances  and  Molly  if  I  bring  you  right  in  on  them?" 

"Can  you?"  asked  the  Woman  with  a  hopeful  look  in 
her  eyes. 

"Can  I?"  he  answered,  assuredly,  then  turning  he 
went  to  the  office  and  soon  came  back  Avith  the  doctor, 
talking  eagerly. 

"All  right,"  said  the  latter,  "if  it  isn't  far  I  can  come 
down  and  dress  the  wound  every  day." 

Mr.  Lesser  looked  at  the  Woman  with  a  victorious 
smile,  saying:  "Can  I?  Well,  I  should  say  so,  the  less  that 
child  sees  of  the  hospital  the  better  off  she  is, ' '  then  turning 
he  called  to  the  nurse,  "Hurry  up  and  take  your  time.  I 
rlon  't  want  to  hurry  you  but  my  woman  is  waiting  with  din- 
ner and  a  darn  bad  dinner  it  would  be  if  we  had  to  eat  alone, 
knowing  these  two  were  in  the  hospital.  Well,  as  long  as  no 
bones  are  broken,  it  is  all  right." 

Soon  he  held  Ronile  in  his  strong  arms  and  hastily 
carried  her  down  the  hill,  telling  the  mother  to  hang  on 
to  his  arm ;  that  he  could  carry  her,  too.  When  they  reached 
the  house  Mrs.  Lesser  was  waiting  at  the  door.  She  ran 
toward  the  Woman  and  kissed  her,  then  led  her  up  the 
stairs.  Mr.  Lesser  placed  Ronile  gently  on  the  bed  and  told 
her  to  sleep,  as  the  doctor  had  said  food  was  not  to  be 
given  her  that  day.  Frances  brought  in  some  of  her  toys 
and  placed  them  on  the  side  of  the  bed.  Then  all  went  into 
the  dining  room  to  eat  their  dinner. 

Ronile 's  prayer  seemed  still  to  linger  for  each  one 
looked  at  the  other.  The  Woman  knew  what  they  were 


SUNSHINE  AND  GLADNESS  COMBINE       147 

thinking  about  so  she  made  a  grateful  prayer  of  thanks- 
giving— not  from  a  book  but  from  a  mother's  heart  for  she 
felt  it  was  the  Father's  hand  which  so  wisely  led  her  to 
this  humble  circle  of  His  children.  Frances  wanted  to 
ask  Mrs.  Delien  how  Ronile  happened  to  get  hurt,  but  the 
father's  warning  look  told  her  not  to  remind  the  stricken 
mother. 

' '  This  is  no  time  to  go  over  rips  and  tears,  this  is  feed- 
ing time.  What  do  we  care  about  this  morning  and  its 
woes,  which  might  have  been  lots  worse?"  he  said,  and  in 
an  effort  to  change  the  subject  turned  to  his  wife,  saying, 
"Molly,  where  did  you  get  the  dandy  fish?  It  is  fine." 
He  knew  he  could  benefit  the  Woman  more  by  praising  the 
food  than  by  condemning  fate  with  bitter  reproaches. 

"Gee,"  said  Alfred,  "you've  got  an  extra  dish,  ma." 

"Well,  we  get  fifty  cents  extra  for  dinner,  that  gives 
us  a  dainty  dessert,"  replied  his  mother. 

' '  Oh, ' '  said  Alfred,  ' '  why  do  they  have  the  best  things 
last?  If  I  had  my  way  I'd  eat  the  dessert  first  for  that 
always  tastes  the  best." 

"Yes,  and  your  pimples  would  look  better,  too,"  said 
his  mother.  "Just  look  at  his  nose;  he's  been  picking  at  it 
again. ' ' 

"Well,  how  can  I  get  rid  of  the  old  blackheads  if  I 
don't  pinch  them  out?" 

"You  can,"  said  Mrs.  Delien.  "Before  you  retire  take 
good  warm  water  with  a  little  bicarbonate  of  soda  dissolved 
in  it  and  a  good  castile  soap.  Wash  your  face  well,  using 
plenty  of  soap,  and  rinse  with  cold  water.  If  you  do  this 
every  night  and  morning  you  will  soon  get  rid  of  them." 

"I  will  do  it;  will  it  make  hair  grow  on  my  face?" 
and  bending  over  his  sister  he  rubbed  his  cheek  briskly  over 
her  face. 

She  slapped  him  in  a  playful  way,  saying,  "Your  face 
is  getting  like  a  scrubbing  brush. ' ' 

"That  means  a  razor,  pa,"  he  said  laughingly. 

"Don't  be  too  anxious,  boy,  it's  a  lifetime  job  when 
you  once  start,  so  hold  off  these  stubs  as  long  as  you  can," 
replied  his  father. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
WHEEE  LAUGHTER  EINGS  CLEARER  THAN  GOLD 

A  ring  from  the  door  bell  broke  up  the  laughing  party. 
Alfred  announced  an  old  gentleman  who  wished  to  speak 
to  Mrs.  Delien.  The  Woman  went  into  the  living  room  and 
found  herself  confronted  by  Mr.  Bartells.  He  still  held 
his  hat  in  his  hand  and  was  looking  into  the  adjoining 
room,  watching  Ronile  as  she  lay  fast  asleep.  At  the 
Woman's  approach  he  turned  swiftly  around  and  grasped 
her  hand  raising  it  tenderly  to  his  lips.  Then  he  looked 
at  her,  saying  half -sympathetically,  "You  did  come  back!" 

The  Woman  pointed  to  a  Morris  chair,  and  said, 
"Won't  you  sit  down?" 

"Thank  you,  but,  my  dear  child,"  he  addressed  her, 
as  he  looked  admiringly  at  her  slender  form,  "what  is  it 
I  read  in  the  evening  paper  about  your  getting  hurt  ? ' ' 

' '  Ronile  was  hurt, ' '  answered  the  Woman,  as  she  calmly 
pointed  to  the  adjoining  room. 

"I  was  trying  hard  to  find  you.  My  first  visit  was 
to  the  Emergency  Hospital,  then  they  told  me  you  were 
at  the  German  Hospital.  But  tell  me,  my  dear,  how  did 
you  come  to  this  common  place  to  live?" 

"Why,  Mr.  Bartells,  this  is  a  Godsend.  They  are 
wonderful  people!  We  could  not  find  better  ones  in  the 
whole  world." 

"I  must  differ  with  your  taste.  I  would  have  thought 
your  high  ideals  at  any  rate  would  have  led  you  to  a  place 
where  the  people  would  not  have  been  quite  so  uncouth." 

"Oh,  there  is  sunshine  within,  and  besides  I  could 
not  afford  a  more  luxurious  place.  However,  this  looks 
golden  to  me,  as  I  need  the  smiles  of  these  people.  They 
are  workers;  so  am  I." 

"Precisely  the  right  kind  of  soil  to  plant  yourself  in," 
and  saying  this  he  glanced  over  to  the  piano  and  pointing 
to  a  rag  time  piece  of  music,  asked  sarcastically,  ' '  Do  you 
intend  to  educate  your  daughter  on  the  Bag  Time  Road?" 

"Not  exactly,  but  if  Ronile  develops  as  good  a  heart 


LAUGHTER  RINGS  CLEARER  THAN  GOLD  149 

and  disposition,  I  will  feel  that  her  education  is  not  a 
failure."  He  shook  his  head  sadly  and  looking  toward 
Ronile  he  said:  "Poor  dear  little  Princess.  It  would  be  a 
great  pleasure  to  me  if  I  could  do  something  for  you  or 
Ronile.  I  wanted  to  secure  a  private  room  which  would 
have  been  more  pleasant  for  the  sick  child. ' '  He  arose  and 
walked  into  the  sick  room  and  fondly  stroked  the  hair  of 
the  sleeping  patient. 

He  watched  her  pensively  and  then  returned,  saying, 
"How  big  and  beautiful  she  has  grown,  and  to  think  she 
is  compelled  to  live  in  such  a  place." 

' '  We  are  happy  here ;  that  is  one  thing  you  cannot  buy ; 
it  must  come.  Therefore  we  see  a  perfect  paradise  here. ' ' 

' '  New  York  must  have  treated  you  unkindly,  as  you  are 
contented  with  so  little." 

' '  I  cannot  say  that  a  city  could  treat  one  unkindly,  but 
through  sorrow  our  soul  grows  and  our  body  does  not 
require  much  to  stimulate  happiness." 

He  looked  at  her  appealingly  and  stretching  his 
hands  toward  her  he  said:  "I  waited  for  you,  my  dear, 
and  knew  you  would  come  back  to  me.  It  grieves  me  greatly 
that  you  should  look  for  a  place  of  this  kind  when  I  live 
so  near  and  am  willing  to  open  the  innermost  door  of  my 
heart  to  you." 

"But,"  said  the  Woman,  half  hoping,  "with  all  of 
us?" 

"Who  is  all?"  he  asked. 

' '  Oh,  I  have  grown  spiritually  and  we  are  a  large  band 
now  and  cannot  be  separated.  If  you  want  the  flesh  you 
must  make  room  for  the  spirit." 

He  jumped  up  from  his  seat  and  said,  half  alarmed: 
"I  am  afraid,  my  dear,  that  deprivation  has  caused  you  to 
be  slightly  unbalanced.  Let  me  help  you !  If  it  takes  my  last 
dollar  I  would  spend  it  to  cure  you  of  those  horrible  ideas 
of  dealing  with  something  that  is  not." 

"What  would  you  do  if  I  let  you  take  care  of  me?" 
she  asked,  smilingly. 

He  paced  the  floor,  then  stopped  in  front  of  her,  say- 
ing: "I  would  put  you  in  one  of  the  finest  sanitariums 


150  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

until  your  nerves  were  healed.  Then  take  you  home  and 
have  a  daily  whist  party  all  by  ourselves." 

"Well,"  said  the  Woman,  "it  is  indeed  my  good  for- 
tune that.  I  am  not  ready  to  be  led  by  the  command  of  your 
dollars  to  an  institute  for  helpless  masses  of  degenerates 
who  must  resort  to  such  confinement  because  they  lack  will 
power.  And  that  is  the  best  you  could  do  for  me !  Even- 
tually, I  would  be  molded  to  conform  to  your  ideas  and 
my  days  of  activity  would  be  limited  to  a  game  of  cards." 
She  sprang  to  her  full  height  and  looking  him  squarely  in 
the  face,  said :  ' '  I  thank  you  for  your  interest  in  us  but  we 
prefer  a  poor  but  free  life.  I  will  confine  myself  to  the 
competition  among  the  workers  in  art  and  seek  a  price,  a 
world's  reward.  Therefore,  dear  Mr.  Bartells,  I  am  very 
busy,  indeed,  and  do  not  require  your  kind  assistance  in 
leading  me  to  an  asylum." 

He  arose  heavily  and  taking  up  his  hat,  bowed  and 
moved  toward  the  door,  saying:  "I  am  very  sorry  to  have 
kept  you  from  your  friends,  pray  forgive  me.  I  shall  see 
that  I  don't  bother  you  in  the  future." 

Ronile  called  for  a  drink  of  water  and  when  her 
mother  brought  it,  she  said:  "Oh,  my  dear,  good  mama, 
I  am  so  glad  that  he  has  gone.  I  wanted  a  drink  before, 
but  was  afraid  to  ask  you  for  fear  he  would  come  in  and 
tickle  me  with  his  beard.  I  would  not  like  it  today, 
mother  dear, ' '  she  shuddered  as  she  handed  the  glass  back 
to  her  mother. 

"Don't  you  like  him?"  asked  the  Woman. 

"No,  I  don't  want  to  hate  him  but  I  can't  help  it.  He 
just  makes  me  feel  as  if  he  wants  to  catch  a  lovely  wild 
bird  and  keep  it  under  a  net  to  look  at." 

"You  are  right,  dear,"  replied  her  mother,  "we  will 
try  hard  to  get  along  without  him.  If  he  wants  to  do  some 
good,  why  doesn't  he,  but  he  just  demands  our  souls,  and 
they  don't  belong  to  us.  They  are  God's  property  given 
to  guide  us  and  we  shall  please  God  at  all  times."  Here 
she  stooped  down  kissing  the  pale  lips  which  still  smelled 
from  the  ether.  ' '  See,  dear,  God  tests  us ;  it  means  wealth 
or  faith.  If  Mr.  Bartells  could  only  see  how  wealthy  we 


LAUGHTER  RINGS  CLEARER  THAN  GOLD    151 

are  in  finding  such  good  people  that  seem  to  love  us 
already. ' ' 

There  was  a  slight  knock  on  the  door,  which  the  Woman 
answered  by  calling  out,  "Come  in."  The  door  flew  open 
and  there  stood  the  whole  Lesser  family  each  holding  on 
to  the  other's  shoulders,  as  they  marched  in  the  room  sing- 
ing. They  stood  around  the  bed  laughing  just  to  see 
if  Ronile  had  forgotten  her  laugh. 

Alfred  came  over  to  the  Woman  and  asked:  "Do  you 
know  that  old  guy  ?  Gee,  he  is  rich !  But,  say,  stingy  ?  He 
wouldn't  go  out  after  dark  for  fear  some  one  would  hit 
him  over  the  head.  I  know  the  son  of  his  manager,  and 
when  they  got  twins  he  roasted  the  poor  father  for  enlarging 
his  family  with  such  speed,  as  he  could  not  pay  the  salary 
they  would  need  to  feed  them.  Remember,  ma,  when  I 
told  you  Christmas  he  did  not  give  the  man  a  penny  for 
the  kids?  Some  stiff!" 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Lesser,  "he  has  not  much  good  from 
his  wealth,  not  even  the  good  things  such  as  Molly  cooks 
for  us.  What  do  we  care  for  money  ?  I  bet  he  is  the  lone- 
liest man  in  town." 

Looking  at  Ronile  he  cried  out,  "Hello,  there,  my  pal, 
all  better?  When  you  can  sit  up  in  a  chair  I  will  tell 
you  all  about  the  bears  in  Alaska." 

"I  can  sit  up  now,  Mr.  Lesser,  if  you  want  me  to," 
said  Ronile  eagerly.  ' '  I  would  love  to  hear  about  the  dear 
little  bears.  Why,  I  had  a  big  bear  in  the  Bronx  Park 
trained.  He  would  sit  up  for  me  and  do  lots  of  tricks." 

They  all  sat  around  the  bed  listening  to  Mr.  Lesser 's 
talk  about  Alaska,  where  he  had  been  sent  to  make  surveys, 
and  had  taken  his  family  with  him.  The  Woman  compared 
a  game  of  cards  to  this  happy  group,  then  sighed  wearily. 

On  hearing  this,  Mrs.  Lesser  got  up  and  pushed  her 
family  out,  saying,  "It  is  time  to  leave,  the  poor  Woman 
should  be  asleep." 

It  was  five  weeks  before  Ronile  could  walk  well  enough 
to  go  to  school.  She  sat  by  her  mother  twisting  silk  leaves 
onto  little  wires,  then  she  would  begin  to  make  buttercups 
and  forget-me-nots.  Every  evening  the  folks  would  look 
over  the  flowers  they  had  made  during  the  day. 


152  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Mr.  Lesser  never  came  home  without  bringing  some 
little  token,  saying  awkwardly,  as  he  handed  the  toy  to 
Ronile,  "Oh,  see  what  I  found!"  One  day  he  brought  her 
a  miniature  bale  of  cotton.  "See,  some  old  nigger  mammy 
tied  this  up,"  and  made  a  big  story  of  how  hard  it  was  for 
him  to  get  it. 

"Oh,  you  did  not  have  to  hurt  anyone  for  it?"  said 
Ronile  alarmed.  "I  don't  think  I  could  care  for  it  if  that 
was  the  case." 

"No,"  said  he,  "not  so  bad."  He  pulled  a  dime  out 
of  his  pocket  and  assured  the  mother  that  the  bale  of 
cotton  had  only  cost  ten  cents. 

One  evening  Ronile  had  the  hiccoughs  from  laughing. 

Mr.  Lesser  went  out  to  his  Molly,  saying,  ' '  Woman,  do 
you  know  a  way  to  stop  that  youngster  from  hiccoughing  ? ' ' 

"Sure,"  said  Amelia,  and  she  walked  in  to  Ronile, 
saying  quite  concerned:  "I  know  you  will  be  angry  with 
me.  I  only  thought  after  it  was  gone  how  much  you  loved 
it,  but  it's  gone  and  I  don't  know  how  to  get  another." 

"What?"  cried  Ronile  in  dismay. 

"Your  bale  of  cotton;  I  threw  it  away,"  answered 
Mrs.  Lesser. 

Mr.  Lesser  thundered  at  his  wife,  asking  her  what  right 
she  had  to  throw  away  what  he  had  fought  for  from  a  poor 
old  colored  lady.  The  fright  caused  by  Mr.  Leaser's  pre- 
tended anger  stopped  Ronile 's  hiccoughs  and  soon  Mr. 
Lesser  came  back  with  the  little  bundle,  saying  he  had  to 
beat  up  the  scavenger  to  get  it  back. 

Ronile  took  the  bale  of  cotton  and  tucked  it  away, 
saying,  "I  had  better  keep  you  out  of  sight  if  the  poor 
people  get  beaten  up  just  on  account  of  a  dear  little  bale 
of  cotton,"  but  it  helped  to  stop  the  hiccoughs. 

After  two  months  of  hard  work  the  Woman  had  fin- 
ished her  basket  for  the  great,  magnificent  World's  Fair. 
There  were  all  kinds  of  flowers  in  a  huge  gilded  French 
basket.  She  had  a  glass  case  made  and  lined  with  a  wis- 
teria shade  of  chiffon.  On  the  draping  she  put  wreaths 
of  pansies,  empire  style.  Then  two  weeks  before  the  great 
gates  opened  she  went  to  the  officials  with  her  flowers.  They 
sent  her  to  the  Arts  and  Crafts  Section,  referring  her 


LAUGHTER  RINGS  CLEARER  THAN  GOLD  153 

to  a  Mr.  Angerson.  He,  however,  gave  her  little  encourage- 
ment, saying  the  space  would  cost  at  least  one  hundred 
dollars. 

' '  But  they  tell  me  the  space  is  free, ' '  said  the  Woman, 
with  a  worried  expression,  "and  it  is  a  credit  to  San 
Francisco,  as  I  make  them  here." 

Mr.  Angerson  put  the  Woman  off  for  ten  days.  She 
went  from  one  official  to  another,  every  day  paying  out 
sixty  cents  for  carfare  and  admission  to  the  exposition 
grounds,  and  her  funds  were  getting  very  low,  but  the  good 
people  told  her  not  to  worry  about  the  rent  and  board  until 
she  got  on  her  feet. 

"Oh,  Father,  do  not  leave  me  now,"  she  prayed. 

One  day  she  went  to  the  California  Building,  but  was 
told  that  silk  flowers  belonged  in  the  Fine  Arts.  She  went 
there  and  was  told  that  only  paintings  belonged  there.  She 
went  to  the  French  Building,  which  was  not  completed,  but 
was  told  that  only  gowns  would  be  displayed  there.  An- 
other day  she  went  to  the  Liberal  Arts  Building.  She 
walked  past  Leichner  's  Exhibit  and  asked  the  young  lady  in 
that  section  if  she  could  not  take  in  the  basket  of  flowers. 

"Yes,  we  can,  but  the  goods  must  be  imported,"  she 
replied. 

"Well,  I  can  prove  to  you  with  labels  that  most  of 
my  material  will  comply  with  that  demand.  Come  and  see 
me  and  assure  yourself,"  said  the  Woman. 

"I  will,"  replied  the  other.  "Being  an  exhibitor,  have 
you  a  pass  ? ' ' 

"No,  if  they  only  knew  how  hard  it  is  for  me  to  pay 
the  admission  each  day,  they  would  give  me  a  pass. ' ' 

The  good  girl  went  with  her  and  secured  a  permit  for 
her,  thus  saving  her  fifty  cents  a  day. 

The  next  evening,  Miss  Hybenth  came  to  see  the  basket 
of  flowers.  She  clasped  her  hands  in  astonishment  as  she 
viewed  the  basket,  saying,  "This  is  a  masterpiece." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  "and  I  had  to  go  to  a  for- 
eigner to  help  me  out." 

"You  see,"  said  Miss  Hybenth,  "they  all  go  abroad 
to  finish  art,  as  this  country  is  too  young  and  vigorous  to 
content  itself  in  studying  the  finer  lines  of  art.  But  you 


154  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

wait,  I  will  see  that  you  get  a  space  of  your  own.  It  will 
not  cost  you  much  as  your  exhibit  is  small  and  will  not 
take  over  five  square  feet  of  space. ' '  Thus  it  was  arranged 
that  at  the  opening,  the  whole  Lesser  family  accompanied 
Mrs.  Delien  and  Ronile  to  the  great  Panama-Pacific  Inter- 
national Exposition. 

When  they  came  down  Fillmore  Street,  Ronile  clasped 
her  hands  in  delight.  "A  Fairyland,"  she  cried. 

"My,  such  a  sight!  I  am  glad  I  waited  for  the  open- 
ing day,"  said  Mr.  Lesser,  "it  would  have  been  just  like 
tasting  pie  crust  before  it  was  baked.  This  is  sure  the 
prettiest  sight  I  ever  saw." 

They  first  visited  the  Liberal  Arts  Building,  to  see  the 
basket  of  flowers,  and  stood  a  long  time  lost  in  thought. 
Then  seeing  how  the  crowd  came  over  admiring  the  wonder- 
ful display,  Mr.  Lesser  retreated  and  drank  in  with  great 
satisfaction  the  different  remarks  about  such  work.  Once 
in  a  while,  if  he  caught  the  eye  of  an  admirer  he  would 
point  with  this  thumb  toward  the  Woman,  priding  himself 
that  he  knew  her  and  that  she  was  living  with  them. 

A  few  weeks  later  a  space  was  made  for  the  basket 
in  the  Varied  Industries  Building.  It  had  a  wonderful 
display  between  the  Marienthaler  China  Section  and  the 
Lion  &  Weismueller  Jewelry. 

One  Sunday  as  the  Woman  entered  she  beheld  Mr. 
Bartells  standing  before  the  glass  case,  lost  in  thought 
and  stroking  his  beard  as  he  carefully  studied  every  detail 
of  the  work.  There  were  large  crowds  admiring  the  flowers ; 
some  thought  they  were  made  of  china,  others  from  wax. 
Another  woman  thought  they  were  made  of  butter.  Mr. 
Bartells  smiled,  amused,  but  did  not  say  from  what  material. 
He  rather  enjoyed  their  puzzled  views.  "Oh,  dear,"  said 
a  newcomer.  "How  wonderfully  those  flowers  have  kept. 
Every  time  I  come  I  have  to  look  at  the  gorgeous  creation. ' ' 

"And  the  dewdrops  get  me,"  said  her  husband.  Point- 
ing to  a  fuchsia  he  said,  ' '  That 's  my  favorite ;  just  see  how 
the  drop  seems  to  roll  off  and  yet  it  hangs  in  the  same  place 
all  the  time." 

Mrs.  Delien  came  forth  and  greeted  the  crowd,  telling 


LAUGHTER  RINGS  CLEARER  THAN  GOLD  155 

them  that  the  flowers  were  all  made  of  silk  and  chiffon, 
and  that  the  dewdrops  were  rhinestones. 

"Some  clever  work,"  said  the  men,  "wonderful! 
You  must  live  in  a  palace." 

The  Woman  turned  and  saw  Mr.  Bartells,  who  felt 
quite  safely  concealed  in  the  crowd,  then  she  said:  "No, 
my  friends,  if  I  had  chosen  a  palace  I  would  today  sit  in 
a  sanitarium,  just  because  this  power  to  give  is  within 
me.  It  is  a  little  garden  where  these  flowers  grow,  but 
well  cared  for  by  love  of  God  and  good- will  to  men. ' '  She 
looked  around  but  Mr.  Bartells  had  vanished. 

"Oh,  I  struck  the  nail  on  the  head,"  she  thought. 

All  week  the  Woman  worked  to  supply  the  stores. 
On  Sundays  they  went  to  the  Fair. 

' '  What 's  your  hurry  today  ?  We  are  not  ready ;  wait 
for  us,"  said  Mr.  Lesser. 

"  No, "  said  the  Woman,  "  I  can 't.  I  feel  as  if  Beachy, 
the  aviator,  were  going  to  get  hurt  and  if  I  get  there  soon 
enough,  perhaps  through  concentration  I  can  help  him." 
As  they  came  to  the  hill  at  Fillmore  Street  they  beheld 
Beachy  already  up  in  a  new  Taube.  The  Woman's  heart 
began  to  beat  faster  and  she  rushed  through  the  gates. 
Ronile  saw  the  doctor  who  had  dressed  her  wound  and 
called  him  over. 

"Oh,  doctor,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  "go  toward  the  wharf; 
you  will  be  needed,"  and  taking  Ronile 's  hand  she  hastily 
walked  along  looking  up  at  times  as  they  neared  the  wharf. 

There  were  thousands  of  people  watching  the  thrilling 
flight,  when  suddenly  a  cry  of  "Look  out!"  burst  forth 
from  the  crowd,  as  they  looked  up  and  saw  one  wing  fall 
down.  The  aviator  seemed  to  see  the  danger  of  falling  on 
the  closely  packed  crowd.  He  steered  the  machine  toward 
the  Bay  and  fell  like  a  bird  that  had  a  wing  shot  off. 
Reaching  the  Bay  the  Woman  begged  to  be  taken  out  to 
help  him,  but  the  men  thought  she  was  hysterical.  One 
hour  later  they  found  the  dead  aviator  at  the  exact  place 
she  had  pointed  out. 

In  the  evening  Mr.  Lesser  said, ' '  Funny  how  you  could 
feel  that  accident  before  it  happened." 

"Some  people  do,"  said  the  Woman  simply.    She  felt 


156  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

that  in  his  home  she  need  not  tell  of  the  power  she  gained 
by  self-denial.  "They  are  good  loving  people,  so  I  like 
them, ' '  she  thought. 

One  evening  Miss  Hybenth  came  with  a  mysterious 
look  on  her  face.  She  kissed  Ronile  and  the  Woman,  then 
said,  "I  have  good  news  for  you." 

' '  Oh,  tell  me, ' '  said  Ronile  eagerly.  A  weakness  over- 
came the  Woman,  as  she  sat  down.  There  had  not  been 
many  visitors  in  her  life  who  came,  saying,  "I  have  good 
news  for  you." 

She  folded  her  hands  and  waited  patiently,  rather 
enjoying  the  suspense.  Miss  Hybenth  went  to  the  piano 
and  struck  the  great  notes,  and  with  full  contralto  voice 
she  sang,  "Grosser  Gott  wier  loben  dich,  Herr  wier  preis- 
sen  deine  Staerke  (Great  God,  we  worship  Thee,  we  praise 
Thy  power)." 

The  Lessers  came  rushing  in.  "What's  up?"  asked 
the  boss  of  the  house. 

"Friends,"  cried  the  visitor,  "your  little  boarder 
was  awarded  a  high  honor  in  the  Book  of  Art,  a  Gold 
medal." 

The  Woman  grew  pale,  tears  were  rolling  down  her 
cheeks. 

A  big  hand  grasped  hers  and  held  them  both  in  his, 
saying,  "Little  Woman,  that  medal  found  the  right  place, 
you  deserve  it  and  I  am  proud  of  you."  There  were  kisses 
coming  from  all  sides,  even  Alfred  wiped  his  mouth  on  his 
sleeve  before  he  paid  his  tribute  to  the  Woman. 

Miss  Hybenth  was  requested  to  play  more  folk-songs, 
but  the  Woman  asked  for  classic  pieces,  saying,  "It  is 
war-time  and  we  can  be  just  as  happy  by  having  some- 
thing that  will  not  arouse  someone's  antagonism." 

On  leaving,  the  German  girl  asked  the  Woman  to  be 
sure  and  come  to  the  Fair  the  next  day  as  they  wanted 
to  see  her. 

"Well,  there's  a  happy  girl,"  said  Mr.  Lesser.  "She's 
well  educated." 

"Yes,  she  can  speak  five  languages,"  said  Ronile, 
stopping  to  rub  her  sleepy  eyes. 

"I  can  swear  in  two,"  said  the  boss. 


"And  pray  in  none,"  put  in  his  wife. 

"He  smiles  all  the  time,  and  that  is  as  good  or  better 
sometimes,"  said  the  Woman  as  she  bid  them  good  night. 

The  next  day  being  Saturday  there  was  no  school  for 
Bonile.  Mrs.  Delien  dressed  her  up  in  her  net  party  dress 
with  the  silk  slip.  She  herself  put  on  a  white  Charmeuse 
silk  dress  and  white  hat  trimmed  with  feathers,  white  pumps 
and  stockings.  A  bunch  of  mixed  flowers  was  the  only 
color  visible.  As  they  entered  the  gate  there  was  a  leap  in 
the  Woman's  heart  she  had  not  felt  since  she  boarded  the 
ship  on  her  honeymoon  trip  to  Saratoga.  A  door  seemed 
to  open  then  to  a  new  life,  a  veil  lifted  the  girlish  brow 
and  gave  it  a  passport  to  the  road  of  maternity. 

"Oh,  what  a  stormy  path  it  was,"  she  thought. 

Ronile  spoke  about  something  which  awoke  her  from 
the  past  and  grasped  the  hand  that  now  held  her  arm,  for 
Ronile  was  almost  to  her  mother's  shoulder. 

"Oh,"  thought  the  Woman,  "for  Ronile,  I  would  face 
that  road  again."  By  this  time  they  were  up  to  the  great 
entrance  of  the  Varied  Industries  Building.  As  they  en- 
tered Miss  Hybenth  presented  her  with  a  large  bouquet 
of  American  Beauty  roses.  On  the  top  of  her  basket  of 
silk  flowers  was  a  blue  ribbon.  All  the  good  people  of  the 
German  Section  came  and  congratulated  her  and  some  of 
the  enthusiastic  young  men  grabbed  her  and  carried  her 
around.  A  banquet  was  served  at  the  old  Heidelberg  Inn 
in  the  Zone.  Ronile  clasped  her  hands  as  she  sat  at  the 
beautifully  decorated  table  and  silently  mumbled  her 
prayer.  A  look  of  appreciation  reached  the  girl  from  the 
eyes  of  the  mother  which  said  so  much  and  Ronile  under- 
stood. 

"What  are  you  doing?"  asked  Erich  Von  Pelten,  as 
he  saw  Ronile  in  silent  meditation. 

She  looked  up  at  him  and  said,  "I  just  asked  the  Lord 
to  bless  this  food  and  its  giver." 

"Well,"  said  Erich,  "the  Lord  will  bless  a  big,  bad 
bunch."  He  stood  up  and  took  his  glass,  the  rest  follow- 
ing his  example,  except  Ronile  and  her  mother.  They 
drank  to  the  health  and  prosperity  of  the  new  artist. 

"Why  don't  you  stand  up?"  asked  Henry  von  Reel, 


158  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

another  youth  as  he  held  his  glass  toward  the  little  lady. 

"Well,  I  helped  to  make  the  flowers,  too,  and  that  is 
why  I  don't  want  to  shout." 

"You  are  right,  dear,"  said  Miss  Hybenth,  and  turn- 
ing to  the  gentlemen  she  said  that  all  the  forget-me-nots, 
buttercups  and  lilies  of  the  valley  in  the  basket  had  been 
made  by  those  small  hands. 

"Well,"  said  Ronile,  "we  did  not  have  much  money 
and  mother  wept  most  every  day  when  we  were  alone  be- 
cause we  did  not  know  how  to  pay  for  the  glass  case  or 
get  room  for  the  basket  to  stand  on." 

"That  is  why  the  tears  glitter  as  they  roll  over  the 
flowers  when  you  look  at  the  basket,"  said  Doctor  Edel, 
who  was  exhibiting  radium  and  some  curios  from  the 
South  Sea  Islands. 

"It  is  rather  peculiar  that  every  time  I  look  at  the 
flowers  a  sadness  comes  over  me,"  said  another  member 
of  the  party,  and  turning  to  the  flower-maker  he  said, 
"Madam,  why  do  you  work  such  sad  vibrations  into  that 
garden  of  yours?" 

"It  is  their  preservation;  they  keep  better  it  seems. 
Each  flower  that  blooms  bears  a  dewdrop  in  its  cup." 

"Then  you  were  bound  to  compete  with  Nature  and 
you  rivaled  her  very  well,"  said  Doctor  Edel. 

' '  You  know  that  the  Jury  of  Awards  placed  the  exhibit 
of  the  flowers  in  the  Palace  of  Horticulture, ' '  remarked  Miss 
Hybenth. 

"Then  they  agreed  that  it  was  part  of  nature,"  said 
Erich  happily.  Here  he  looked  at  the  Woman,  this  hand- 
some blonde  youth  with  keen  blue  eyes,  and  taking  his  glass 
to  his  lips  drank  its  full  contents  with  meaning  eyes  bent 
on  the  flower-maker. 

Then  he  smacked  his  lips  and  sang,  "My  Heart  is  a 
Beehive. ' ' 

"You  said  it,"  laughed  Mrs.  Delien. 

From  the  tower  of  the  building  came  the  sound  of  a 
trumpet.  A  girl  dressed  in  a  Hussar  costume  stood  blow- 
ing from  "The  Trumpeter  von  Saeckingen,"  "Es  ist  im 
Leben  haesslich,  eingericht,  das  bei  den  Rosen  gleich  die 


LAUGHTER  RINGS  CLEARER  THAN  GOLD  159 

dornen  bluehen. "  (It  is  a  sad  arrangement  in  this  life, 
that  thorns  grow  where  the  roses  bloom.) 

''That's  a  lie,"  said  Erich,  "since  madam's  creation; 
there  are  no  thorns  on  her  roses. ' ' 

"Yes,  but  the  wires  often  get  into  our  fingers  and  make 
them  bleed,"  said  Ronile. 

"But  we  try  to  cover  them  well  so  they  don't  stick  the 
purchaser,"  said  her  mother,  smiling. 

As  the  last  great  sounds  thrilled  through  the  air, 
"Behuet  dich  Gott  es  waer  so  schoen  gewesen,  behuet  dich 
Gott  es  hall  nicht  sollen  sein,"  the  party  got  up  to  dance. 
They  asked  Mrs.  Delien  to  join  them,  but  she  declined,  say- 
ing that  it  had  been  so  many  years  since  she  had  danced 
she  was  afraid  she  did  not  know  how,  but  Ronile  danced. 
She  felt  quite  big  as  she  passed  her  mother  with  flushed 
cheeks. 

The  mother  smiled  encouragingly,  and  thought,  ' '  Well, 
my  dear,  if  I  can  keep  a  cloud  from  your  future  life,  I 
will  prevent  it  as  your  childhood  road  was  too  stony  for 
your  tender  feet. ' ' 

After  dinner  they  took  in  the  sights  on  the  Zone. 

"My,  what  a  difference  between  today  and  last  Sun- 
day," said  Ronile.  "Then  we  had  no  money  and  just 
walked  until  we  were  so  tired.  If  we  had  a  fine  time  like 
today  every  day.  wouldn't  it  be  grand?" 

"No,  my  sweet  little  girl,  you  would  be  very  tired  of 
that, ' '  said  her  mother.  ' '  Joy  is  very  filling  and  causes  in- 
digestion so  easily.  However,  this  was  the  grandest  day  that 
I  can  remember.  Just  think,  of  all  the  ladies  you  see,  there 
are  perhaps  not  one  in  a  thousand  who  received  a  Gold 
Medal." 

As  the  sun  was  going  down  they  parted,  blessing  that 
party  of  people  who  were  so  nice  and  kind. 

When  they  reached  home  they  heard  Frances  playing 
and  her  father  with  his  impossible  voice  singing,  "There's 
a  Hole  in  the  Bottom  of  the  Sea. ' ' 

As  they  went  in,  he  shouted,  "Oh,  Molly,  they're 
here ! ' '  Then  he  led  them  into  the  dining  room. 

"Now,  daddy,"  said  Frances,  "you  make  me  sick, 
you  spoiled  it  all ;  that 's  no  surprise ! ' ' 


160  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

But  it  was.  The  good  hearted  man  could  not  wait 
any  longer. 

"Why,"  said  he,  ''if  it  took  much  longer  I'd  bust," 
and  there  was  another  dinner  party  waiting,  and  Molly 
Lesser  did  her  best  to  bring  out  her  culinary  ability.  A 
home-made  shortcake  was  placed  in  the  center  of  the 
table,  on  which  the  words  "Good  Luck"  had  been  written 
with  equal  sized  berries,  and  a  pretty  arrangement  of 
flowers  and  fern  leaves  peeping  out  from  under  the  cake. 

"This  is  very  pretty,"  said  the  Woman,  "I  don't 
know  how  we  are  ever  going  to  repay  you. ' ' 

' '  Well, ' '  said  the  boss,  ' '  if  you  knew  how  hard  it  was  to 
get  these  things, ' '  pointing  to  the  red  carnations  and  ferns, 
"why,  I  had  an  awful  time,"  looking  mischievously  at 
Ronile,  as  he  soberly  went  one,  "You  know,  I  just  had  to 
break  down  a  fence  and  smash  the  fellow,  but  I  got  my 
way  all  right." 

"You  could  not  hurt  a  fly,"  said  Ronile. 

"Why,  one  time  I  gave  Jimmy  an  awful  thrashing 
because  he  was  hopping  from  one  plate  to  another  eating 
all  the  lettuce. ' ' 

"You  could  not  whip  poor,  dear  little  canary  bird; 
could  he,  Jimmy?"  said  Ronile,  as  she  walked  over  to  the 
cage,  where  the  little  fellow  was  chirping  gleefully.  Then 
Mrs.  Lesser  came  in  and  they  sat  down  to  eat  once  more. 
No  wine  was  served,  but  a  ripple  of  laughter  filled  the  place. 

When  they  served  the  duck  Mr.  Lesser  put  on  a  sad 
expression,  as  he  said:  "Oh,  how  hard  I  tried  to  get  you! 
Do  you  know,  Ronile,  this  was  the  wildest  sea-gull  in  Ala- 
meda  ?  Two  men  were  after  her  and  I  had  to  thrash  them 
senseless  to  get  her.  I  hope  they  didn  't  drown,  but  I  could 
not  wait  to  see  as  Molly  had  to  have  the  bird  for  dinner. ' ' 

"Do  you  thrash  everything  before  you  eat  it?"  asked 
Ronile,  who  by  this  time  was  getting  on  to  his  thrashing 
stories. 

"Don't  you?"  he  asked  her. 

"No,  I  could  not,"  answered  Ronile  with  a  pout. 

"Yes,  you  do;  you  have  the  bird's  poor  little  heart 
in  your  mouth  now  and  are  thrashing  it  between  your 
teeth." 


LAUGHTER  RINGS  CLEARER  THAN  GOLD  161 

"Now,  papa,  stop,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser,  "you  will  spoil 
the  poor  young  one 's  appetite,  she  is  almost  choking  now. ' ' 

Ronile  begged  permission  to  leave  the  table,  as  she 
could  not  swallow  the  heart  of  the  duck,  and  Pa  Lesser 
felt  very  badly,  saying,  ' '  She  is  an  awful  sensitive  kid ;  got 
to  be  careful  what  you  say." 

' '  Well, ' '  said  Mrs.  Delien,  ' '  she  really  is  not  hungry ; 
too  many  good  things  all  day.  Her  stomach  is  only  used 
to  one  big  meal  a  day  and  she  really  has  had  enough. ' ' 

"Oh,  but  my  nice  cake!"  said  Amelia. 

"I'll  come  back  for  some  of  that,"  came  a  voice  out 
of  the  living  room,  which  made  Mr.  Lesser  feel  happy 
again. 

He  helped  clear  off  the  meat,  saying,  "She  must  not 
see  any  of  it ;  reminding  her  would  spoil  her  appetite  for 
the  cake." 

Alfred  called  for  a  second  piece,  saying,  as  he  threw 
out  his  chest  and  pushed  back  his  curly  hair,  his  big 
brown  eyes  gleaming:  "Gee,  if  you  only  got  a  gold  medal 
every  day.  I  hope  you  will  stay  here  always. ' ' 

A  sad  look  came  into  the  eyes  of  the  Woman  as  she 
shook  her  head  slowly,  saying,  "My  good  people,  I  know 
it  will  be  only  a  short  time  before  we  must  part,  not  as 
friends,  but  from  your  home. ' ' 

Here  she  looked  at  Frances  who  was  casting  her  eyes 
down  on  her  plate,  avoiding  the  Woman's  gaze.  "You 
will  have  a  surprise  here  and  we  must  make  room.  A  new 
member  will  claim  our  share  of  your  splendid  cooking,  my 
dear  Mrs.  Lesser. ' ' 

<rWhat  do  you  mean?"  asked  the  hostess. 

"Well,  Frances  will  come  home  married  some  day, 
and  I  know  you  could  not  let  your  sweet  little  girl  live 
apart  from  you,  could  you?  Too  bad  Lester  is  not  here 
so  that  we  could  celebrate  the  engagement,"  continued 
Mrs.  Delien. 

"You  are  wrong  there,"  said  the  boss,  "my  Frances 
has  been  having  beaux  since  she  was  fifteen  years  old  and 
she  is  too  happy  with  her  ma  and  pa. ' ' 

"Frances,"  said  her  mother,  "you  must  tell  me,  dear, 
if  you  are  thinking  of  getting  married.  I  want  you  to  be 
happy,  but  you  are  young  yet ;  enjoy  your  life  while  you 


162  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

can,  but  don 't  marry  on  the  sly ;  I  could  not  stand  it.  I 
don't  object  to  your  choice,  no  matter  who  it  is." 

This  was  too  much  for  Frances,  and  she  leaned  over 
burying  her  face  on  her  mother's  shoulder,  sobbing  out 
that  she  and  Lester  had  been  married  that  afternoon,  and 
that  he  was  coming  later. 

Mrs.  Lesser  pushed  Frances  aside  angrily.  "You 
have  deceived  me,  baby!"  she  cried,  "and  I  could  not 
even  make  a  wedding  dress  for  you.  Oh,  Frances!  why 
did  you  do  that?" 

"Well,"  sobbed  the  young  bride,  "they  all  do  it; 
we  wanted  to  keep  it  a  secret  until  we  had  money  enough 
saved,  then  tell  you,  mama,  and  then  have  a  w- wedding. ' ' 

Mr.  Lesser  was  stunned  for  a  while,  but  his  good  na- 
ture mastered  the  situation. 

He  grabbed  his  little  girl,  as  he  called  her,  and  sat 
her  on  his  lap,  stroking  her  head,  saying:  "You  never  did 
any  harm  to  anyone  in  all  your  life  and  now  you  just  run 
after  your  poor  little  heart  you  lost.  You  are  the  great- 
est sufferer,  if  you  lose. ' ' 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Molly,  blowing  her  nose,  "why  it 
seems  only  yesterday  that  she  was  a  baby  and  now  she 
leaves  me.  This  is  the  saddest  thing  in  all  my  1-i-fe. " 

"Tut,  tut,  now,"  said  the  boss,  "you  did  the  same 
thing,  Molly.  Didn't  we  run  away?  And  we  never  re- 
gretted it.  And  I  don't  know — that  boy,  Lester,  seems  all 
right.  He  works  for  an  insurance  company;  that  is  a 
good  job;  busy  all  the  time." 

Alfred  stretched  himself  lazily,  saying:  "Never  mind, 
Frances,  I'll  do  the  same  some  day." 

"Don't  you  begin  now,"  said  his  father  impatiently, 
"you  are  not  even  dry  behind  your  ears." 

The  bell  rang  and  in  came  the  new  bridegroom.  He 
stopped  short  at  the  threshold  when  he  saw  the  mother  of 
the  girl  in  tears. 

His  joyous,  "hello,"  ended  in  a  vexed  look,  and 
biting  his  lips  he  stood  still  until  his  father-in-law  said, 
' '  Come  in,  my  boy. ' '  But  the  heart-broken  mother  passed 
him  and  went  weeping  to  her  room. 

Mr.  Lesser  motioned  him  to  sit  down,  then  said :  ' '  No 
use  crying  over  spilled  milk,  but  you  should  have  made 


LAUGHTER  RINGS  CLEARER  THAN  GOLD  163 

a  clean  breast  of  it  like  a  man.  You  know  that  mother 
of  Frances  has  a  claim  on  her.  She  needed  time  to  think 
about  a  separation  between  them.  This  is  too  quick;  it 
is  like  stealing  something  valuable  that  grew  from  a 
mother's  heart.  You  must  remember  that  she  belongs  to 
you  now,  and  we  have  no  more  claim  upon  her."  He 
pushed  the  girl  toward  her  young  husband. 

A  tear  ran  down  his  cheek  as  he  said,  "Now  remem- 
ber, the  first  complaint  I  get  from  my  little  girl,  I'll 
thrash  the  daylights  out  of  you.  I  mean  it ! " 

Ronile  glanced  quickly  at  her  mother,  as  if  to  say, 
"He  will  thrash  him  all  right."  Frances  borrowed  the 
suit-case  from  Mrs.  Delien  in  which  they  packed  some 
necessary  articles  of  clothing,  then  went  to  the  door  of 
the  weeping  mother,  but  she  would  not  see  them. 

"Well,"  said  the  father,  "women  do  get  to  be  hyenas 
when  they  get  into  a  temper.  Just  go  and  be  good,  and 
God  bless  you,  my  little  girl,  and  come  and  have  dinner 
tomorrow, ' '  he  said  in  a  husky  voice. 

' '  I  thought  as  I  would  get  my  vacation  soon  that  we 
would  take  a  trip  to  Los  Angeles,"  said  Lester. 

"Go  as  far  as  you  like,  but  bring  her  back  safe,  and 
say,"  he  called  after  them,  "if  you  don't  leave  town,  why 
come  and  have  your  dinners  here." 

"All  right,  daddy,"  said  Frances,  running  back  to 
hug  and  kiss  her  father  again. 

The  "Woman  had  given  Ronile  some  rice  and  they 
threw  it  after  them  as  they  walked  off  on  their  honey- 
moon. 

While  Molly  was  still  weeping,  they  washed  the 
dishes  and  Mr.  Lesser  said  to  Mrs.  Delien,  "How  is  it  you 
could  feel  Frances  was  going  to  get  married?" 

"Well,"  she  said  with  a  far-off  look,  "I  saw  Frances 
in  a  wedding  ring  reaching  from  her  over  to  the  cake,  but 
I  am  so  sorry  I  spoke  of  it." 

' '  Oh,  no,  I  am  glad  you  did ;  it  would  not  be  real  to 
have  a  married  couple  apart;  let  them  shift  for  them- 
selves, as  long  as  they  stay  in  the  same  town. ' ' 

The  next  morning  Mrs.  Lesser  was  quite  consoled, 
saying,  "It  is  all  right,  if  she  would  only  come  home,  for 
I  never  even  taught  her  how  to  make  a  cup  of  coffee. ' ' 


164  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

' '  Well, ' '  said  Mr.  Lesser,  as  he  finished  his  coffee  and 
rose  to  go,  " Frances  won't  need  to  make  coffee  today  or 
tomorrow.  If  I  understand  right,  she  expects  to  continue 
ier  office  work";  then  he  glanced  at  the  Woman  with  a 
worried  look  in  his  eyes,  who  knew  what  he  meant  to  say. 

"Yes,  I  told  you  at  the  dinner  table  that  we  would 
have  to  make  room,"  said  the  Woman. 

"Can't  we  move  to  a  larger  place  and  stay  together?" 

"It  would  hardly  be  wise,"  advised  the  Woman, 
"you  must  first  see  how  you  get  along  with  your  new  son- 
in-law,  for  remember  you  will  for  a  time  see  in  him  the 
intruder.  If  you  get  over  the  trial  of  his  owning  Fran- 
ces, all  will  be  well  with  you.  So  try  first  to  see  if  you 
can  take  him  to  your  heart  as  a  son.  I  know  you  can  for 
you  are  just  the  dearest  little  mother,  and  you  will  love 
him  just  because  he  loves  your  daughter."  Here  she 
kissed  the  dear  mother  and  said,  "I  will  go  out  and  see  if 
there  is  something  to  be  found  in  the  way  of  a  new 
boarding  place  for  Ronile  and  myself." 

"No,  no!"  cried  Mrs.  Lesser,  "not  so  soon.  Please 
don't  pile  everything  on  me;  let  me  get  used  to  one  thing 
first;  wait  at  least  until  tomorrow,  for  it  is  Sunday  and 
we  know  you  don't  like  to  do  those  things  on  the  Sab- 
bath." 

It  was  six  o'clock  on  Sunday  when  Mrs.  Delien  and 
Ronile  returned  from  the  Fair.  They  heard  singing  and 
merry  laughing  as  they  came  down  the  hill. 

"Ah!  Frances  is  home,"  said  Ronile.  "I  am  so  glad, 
mother,  for  Mrs.  Leaser's  sake,  and  sorry  for  ourselves, 
deary." 

"It  is  time  for  us  to  leave." 

"Now  my  good  days  are  over,"  sighed  Ronile,  "but, 
mother,  perhaps  I  can  go  to  Mrs.  Lesser 's  every  day  and 
practice."  The  Woman  looked  around  for  a  place  to 
move.  "Now,  don't  spoil  the  end  of  a  happy  day,"  said 
Ronile.  "Tomorrow  will  be  time  enough,  and  I  want  to 
see  Frances,  for  when  we  have  moved  we  cannot  see  them 
so  often." 

Coming  in,  Frances  greeted  them  happily.  "Oh,  you 
darling,  I  am  so  glad  you  broke  the  ice.  Mama  is  fully 


LAUGHTER  RINGS  CLEARER  THAN  GOLD  165 

consoled,  and  say — she  looked  all  day  to  find  a  place  for 
you. ' ' 

"Oh,  why  did  she  do  that?"  asked  Mrs.  Delien. 

"Well,  she  wanted  to  see  you  get  a  place  where  you 
will  be  happy;  she  doesn't  like  the  landlady  but  you  can 
keep  that  to  yourself." 


CHAPTER  XXV 

WHEEE  ONE  TONGUE  LIGHTS  MANY  FIEES 
OF  HELL 

Early  next  morning  Mrs.  Lesser  and  the  Woman 
went  just  one  block  away  and  looked  at  the  chosen 
place. 

"I  like  the  room,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  with  a  sigh. 
"But,  oh,"  she  thought,  "what  a  difference  in  these  two 
women !"  sizing  up  Mrs.  Lesser  and  Mrs.  Paine.  The  new 
landlady  had  a  larger  corner  apartment  and  rented  the 
different  rooms,  keeping  the  kitchen  and  dining-room  for 
herself.  There  was  a  storeroom  facing  the  hall  that  she 
made  into  a  kitchenette. 

"This  is  your  apartment,"  said  Mrs.  Paine.  "The 
other  roomers  do  not  keep  house;  they  work  all  day. 
There  is  one  young  lady,"  she  said,  "who  comes  home  at 
all  hours  of  the  night." 

"But,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  with  a  vague  feeling,  "per- 
haps she  is  good;  late  hours  don't  indicate  that  people  are 
bad." 

"Well,"  said  the  new  landlady,  "there  is  something 
fishy  about  that  one;  just  keep  a  watch  on  her."  Here 
she  took  out  a  skeleton  key  and  opened  the  door  of  a 
neatly  arranged  room.  "See  these  Chinese  things,  they 
look  bad  to  me;  where  does  she  get  them?"  She  slapped 
her  hands  together  as  she  spoke,  a  vicious  look  coming  in- 
to her  eyes.  Her  fat  face  was  covered  with  big  drops  of 
perspiration  as  she  excitedly  tried  to  paint  a  black  cloak 
around  a  poor  working  girl. 

The  Woman  did  not  enter  the  room,  but  Mrs.  Paine 
called,  "Why  don't  you  come  in?" 

"I  can't,  the  owner  is  not  here.  If  she  were  here  to 
invite  me,  I  would  gladly  go  in,  for  I  like  the  atmosphere 
the  room  conceals." 

' '  I  own  this  place ! ' '  said  the  landlady  stoutly. 

"But,"  said  Mrs.  Delien  with  great  meaning,  "you 
sublet  this  room  for  a  price,  just  as  you  rent  the  apart- 
ment from  the  landlord.  You  don't  allow  the  owner  of 


ONE  TONGUE  LIGHTS  FIRES  OF  HELL      167 

this  house  to  come  in  every  day  and  show  your  place  to 
strangers." 

"I  guess  not!"  replied  Mrs.  Paine. 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  other,  "it  is  not  fair  to  the 
young  lady  to  show  her  home  to  absolute  strangers." 

"But  you  are  going  to  live  here,"  protested  Mrs. 
Paine  with  coarse  positiveness,  "and  you  may  as  well 
know  with  whom  you  are  living ;  and  take  care,  she  might 
lead  you  into  something." 

"I  am  afraid,  Mrs.  Paine,  that  you  worry  too  much 
about  other  people's  affairs.  If  I  rent  this  room,"  she 
said  decidedly,  ' '  I  will  keep  private  for  I  am  very  busy. ' ' 

"Oh,  dear,  I  don't  know;  do  you  really  want  it?" 
asked  Mrs.  Lesser. 

"Yes,  I  will  take  it,"  and  she  paid  the  rent.  She  did 
not  like  the  place  but  knew  that  the  good  Mrs.  Lesser 
had  looked  all  around  for  a  place  and  surely  took  the  best. 
"The  room  suits  me.  It  has  four  windows  facing  the 
east;  that  means  a  lot  to  me." 

Mrs.  Paine  saw  that  she  did  not  gain  anything  by 
"knocking"  the  tenants  to  the  newcomer,  but  she  wanted 
to  rent  her  room  and  got  two  dollars  more  than  she  had 
been  asking,  thinking  that  they  would  Jew  her  down, 
which  they  did  not  and  she  was  pleased.  But  in  her  evil 
mind  she  wondered  why  Mrs.  Lesser  was  helping  the  Wo- 
man to  get  a  new  place. 

"Is  she  that  bad?"  she  thought.  "I'll  find  out." 
Thus  she  addressed  Mrs.  Lesser  who  was  going  to  follow 
her  friend  who  was  already  going  down  the  stairs.  "Say, 
why  does  she  leave  you?"  she  whispered. 

"Oh,  I  am  heartbroken  at  losing  her." 

"Well,  why  don't  you  keep  her  then?"  asked  Mrs. 
Paine,  impatiently. 

"My  daughter  got  married  and  wants  to  stay  with 
us,  or  we  would  never  let  Mrs.  Delien  go." 

"What !  That  young  thing  married?  I  have  not  seen 
a  thing,  and  there  I  am  at  the  window  all  day." 

"Well,  you  missed  something,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser  as 
she  hastily  went  down  the  stairs  to  join  her  friend. 

"Oh,  what  an  irksome  woman!  I  am  afraid  you  won't 
be  happy  there." 


168  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Well,  perhaps  it  is  my  mission  to  go  there,"  replied 
Mrs.  Delien. 

The  good  Mrs.  Lesser  took  the  Woman's  arm  as  they 
crossed  the  street,  then  turned  around  to  look  at  the 
apartment  house  where  she  had  just  rented  the  room. 
"Too  bad,  if  we  could  only  get  that  house,  it  is  a  dandy, 
so  nice  and  sunny,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser. 

"Yes,  it  is  the  sun  I  need,  although  I  have  a  presenti- 
ment that  all  is  not  well.  No  matter  how  one  will  try  to 
dodge  that  person  she  has  a  wicked  tongue,  but  God  will 
help  us, ' '  she  said  slowly  as  they  went  in  the  house  to  pack. 
Alfred  brought  a  school  friend  to  help  move  their  trunks 
and  the  grocer  loaned  them  a  cart  so  by  the  next  day 
they  were  settled  in  their  new  home. 

As  they  ate  their  dinner,  Ronile  looked  at  her  mother 
sadly  and  said:  "How  different  it  was  with  Mrs.  Lesser! 
Why  did  Frances  marry  so  that  we  had  to  move  ? ' ' 

"It  is  the  eternal  WHY,  the  Way  of  the  World,  my 
dear,  it  was  time  for  Frances  to  marry  and  we  must  just 
forget  ourselves.  See,  my  dear,  we  left  the  Hilberts  to 
meet  the  Lessers.  All  this  is  on  the  roadside  of  our  life's 
journey,"  and  pointing  to  some  briars  she  said,  "We  must 
be  careful  that  we  don't  get  pricked." 

"Well,  everybody  is  nice  but  Mrs.  Paine,  and  I  am 
going  to  say,  '  How  do  you  do, '  to  her  even  if  she  does  look 
cross  at  me,  and  tells  me  not  to  walk  up  the  stairs  so  often 
as  I  wear  out  her  carpet." 

"That  is  right,  my  dear,  you  must  show  her  how  to 
be  polite.  If  it  doesn't  affect  her  today  it  might  tomor- 
row." 

In  the  evening  they  took  a  walk.  A  longing  seemed 
to  overcome  them  as  they  passed  Lesser 's  corner.  They 
were  going  on  farther,  but  looking  up  toward  their  room 
they  saw  a  light  in  it,  and  so  hastily  returned  home.  Be- 
ing a  corner  room  Mrs.  Paine  did  not  hear  them  coming 
in  and  as  they  stepped  into  their  room  they  saw  that  Mrs. 
Paine  had  opened  their  trunk  and  held  in  her  hand  a  bolt 
of  ribbon.  Mrs.  Delien  walked  in  and  gently  took  the 
ribbon  out  of  her  landlady's  hand  and  put  it  back  into  its 
place  in  the  trunk.  After  closing  the  trunk  she  walked 
back  to  the  door  and  held  it  ajar,  keeping  her  eyes 


ONE  TONGUE  LIGHTS  FIRES  OF  HELL      169 

steadily  on  the  intruder,  who  upon  recovering  from  the 
shock  made  a  hasty  departure. 

"Good  night,  Mrs.  Paine,"  said  the  Woman  as  she 
passed,  but  only  a  mumble  of  sounds  came  from  the  land- 
lady. After  closing  the  door  the  Woman  sank  into  a 
chair. 

"Did  she  steal  anything,  mother?"  whispered  Ronile. 

"I  don't  think  so,"  replied  the  mother. 

"Do  you  think  she  will  let  me  have  my  bath  tonight? 
She  may  be  angry." 

"My  dear,  the  bath  is  in  the  contract,  but  we  will  not 
mix  in  her  wicked  environment." 

She  went  to  the  bathroom  and  turned  on  the  water, 
which  was  cold.  She  went  back  to  the  kitchen  door  and 
knocked,  saying,  "Mrs.  Paine,  will  you  kindly  light  the 
gas  for  warm  water?"  but  all  the  reply  she  heard  was, 

"No,  you  brazen "  so  she  went  back  and  told  Ronile 

to  take  a  cold  sponge  bath,  saying,  "It  will  do  your 
nerves  good,"  as  she  rubbed  Ronile  warm.  Housekeeping 
was  not  easy  in  this  place,  as  everything  they  bought 
mysteriously  disappeared  from  their  kitchen. 

One  day  at  lunch  Ronile  had  to  run  out  for  sugar, 
and  coming  back  Mrs.  Paine  met  her  at  the  top  of  the 
stairs  saying,  "How  many  times  are  you  going  to  run  up 
and  down  these  stairs?" 

"Well,"  said  Ronile  defiantly,  "if  you  would  let  us 
keep  our  sugar  I  would  not  need  to  run  out  for  more." 

As  she  passed,  the  landlady  grabbed  her  by  the  curls 
and  pulled  them,  saying,  "You  brat!  You  dare  call  me  a 
thief!" 

Mrs.  Delien  came  out  and  took  Ronile  carefully  in 
and  closed  the  door. 

"Oh,  mother,  that  wicked  woman  pulled  my  hair," 
she  cried. 

' '  Why  did  you  give  her  a  chance  ? ' '  asked  the  mother. 

"Well,  I  just  told  her  if  she  would  leave  our  sugar 
alone  I  would  not  have  to  wear  out  her  carpet  getting 
more." 

"The  least  you  say  to  this  person  the  better.  If  you 
had  not  said  that  to  her  she  would  not  have  pulled  your 
hair." 


170  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Nobody  ever  did  that  to  me  before,  and  I  don't 
want  to  live  here  any  more." 

The  Woman  put  her  finger  to  her  lips  and  pointed  to 
the  door.  Then  slipping  on  her  felt  slippers  she  walked 
softly  to  the  door  and  opened  it  quickly.  The  next  in- 
stant Ronile  laughed,  as  Mrs.  Paine  was  leaning  her  full 
weight  against  the  door  and  listening  intently.  When 
it  opened  she  lost  her  balance,  and  fell  into  the  room  full 
length.  The  Woman  stood  erect  trying  hard  to  control 
herself,  as  she  wanted  to  burst  out  laughing,  too. 

When  the  landlady  got  to  her  feet,  she  closed  the 
door,  saying,  "Good  day,  Mrs.  Paine,  I  hope  you  did  not 
hurt  yourself."  The  fat  woman  did  jar  her  flabby  body, 
but  the  fall  taught  her  to  keep  her  ear  from  that  door. 
However,  her  anger  was  manifest  and  had  to  land  some- 
where. That  night  they  were  awakened  by  loud  noises 
of  protest  and  slander. 

They  heard  an  indistinct  voice  say,  "How  dare  you 
come  into  my  room  at  midnight?" 

"I  have  a  right  to,"  was  the  reply,  "you  might  bring 
some  of  those  Chinese  in  here." 

The  Woman  opened  the  door  a  little  and  saw  Mrs. 
Paine  across  the  room,  looking  under  the  bed  for  the  man 
she  could  not  find. 

"You  preposterous  demon,"  cried  the  young  lady 
who  occupied  the  room,  "I  can  come  home  any  time  I  like, 
and  what's  more,  you  are  so  evil-minded  that  I  don't 
trust  myself  in  your  house  and  would  not  be  a  bit  sur- 
prised if  you  did  not  try  to  bring  them  here  yourself." 
Like  a  serpent  the  fat  woman  flew  at  the  young  girl,  who 
however  was  too  quick  for  her,  and  before  the  fat  woman 
could  get  her  hands  into  her  beautiful  hair  which  was 
hanging  down  her  back  in  two  long  braids,  she  grabbed 
the  other  by  the  shoulders  and  led  her  out,  saying,  "I 
don't  teach  gymnastics  every  night  for  nothing."  She 
must  have  touched  a  tender  spot  on  the  landlady's  shoul- 
ders for  she  screamed  with  pain.  She  then  pushed  her 
knees  into  the  landlady 's  back  touching  the  kidneys  with 
each  step,  thus  giving  her  unwelcome  visitor  a  Chinese 
embrace,  as  she  hastily  departed. 

After  the  girl  had  her  unwelcome  visitor  safe  behind 


ONE  TONGUE  LIGHTS  FIRES  OF  HELL      171 

her  own  door,  she  said,  her  beautiful  eyes  shining  through 
the  darkness,  "Now,  mind,  if  I  ever  see  you  in  my  room 
again,  at  any  time,  I  will  get  a  warrant."  She  went  back 
to  her  own  room,  saying  to  another  roomer  as  she  passed, 
"If  only  rooms  were  not  so  scarce,  but  on  account  of  the 
Fair  there  are  none  to  be  had,  and  I  like  this  sunny 
room." 

Soon  the  house  was  quiet,  but  the  Woman  and  Ronile 
could  not  suppress  a  laugh  as  they  settled  back  to  bed. 

"A  fine  lesson,  but  it  is  too  bad  one  must  resort  to 
such  means  to  teach  her  to  mind  her  own  business, ' '  said 
Mrs.  Delien. 

Next  morning  Mrs.  Delien  led  Ronile  to  the  stairs, 
then  went  back  to  the  kitchen  to  prepare  some  vegetables, 
when  she  heard  the  landlady  telling  a  neighbor  in  the 
rear  how  one  of  her  roomers  had  a  man  in  the  room,  for 
she  was  suddenly  grabbed  by  the  back  and  beaten,  "and 
my  body  is  black  and  blue,  they  beat  me  up  so." 

"Dear  Lord,"  thought  Mrs.  Delien,  "is  there  no  way 
of  stopping  that  malicious  tongue?  Ronile  is  getting  ner- 
vous about  using  the  stairs.  We  must  try  to  find  some- 
thing better." 

There  was  a  play  at  the  State  Normal  School  in  which 
Ronile  was  taking  part,  so  after  lunch  Ronile  ran  to  ask 
Mrs.  Lesser  to  come  and  hear  her  sing,  telling  her  to 
be  sure  and  come,  as  she  kissed  her  dear  Lesser  Mama 
good-by,  and  shoved  a  piece  of  candy  the  good  woman 
had  given  her  into  her  mouth.  She  had  taken  the  candy 
out  of  a  box  given  to  Frances,  but  would  not  tell  Ronile 
where  she  got  it,  for  fear  the  youngster  would  not  enjoy 
it  if  the  owner  herself  did  not  give  it  to  her.  The  two 
women  sat  breathless  when  Ronile  as  "Arline"'  dressed 
in  gypsy  attire,  stepped  out  on  the  stage. 

"Don't  clap  too  loud,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser,  "she  might 
become  self-conscious  and  lose  her  poise."  The  song  was 
a  success,  however.  Ronile  was  all  Arline  as  she  sang: 
"Listen,  while  I  relate  the  hope  of  a  gypsy's  fate,"  and 
the  chorus  joined  in,  ' '  Happy  and  light  the  hearts  of  those 
who  in  each  other's  faith  repose." 

"She  is  a  little  queen,"  whispered  Mrs.  Lesser.  "At 
the  age  of  ten,  she  sings  the  Bohemian  Girl ;  she  is  a  won- 


172  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

der.  Oh,  why  aren't  my  folks  here?  If  Papa  were  here 
you  couldn't  keep  him  in  his  seat.  He  would  surely  dis- 
turb her." 

The  scene  changed;  Thaddeus  was  sitting  with 
crossed  legs  outside  the  tent,  when  Eonile  as  Arline  ap- 
peared. As  she  came  out  of  the  tent  she  rubbed  her  eyes, 
and  turning  to  Thaddeus,  she  sang,  "I  Dreamt  I  Dwelt  in 
Marble  Halls." 

"Oh,  how  sweet!"  was  the  general  remark.  Mrs. 
Delien  sat  with  folded  hands,  thanking  the  Creator  for 
that  child  that  could  at  such  a  tender  age  enchant  so 
many.  After  the  performance  the  teachers  brought 
Ronile  over  to  her  mother.  Each  had  a  happy  look  of 
satisfaction  on  her  face. 

"A  born  actress,"  said  the  dramatic  teacher,  Lucille 
Smith. 

"Yes,  she  will  make  good  some  day,"  said  Mrs. 
McCowley,  the  singing  teacher.  "There  was  not  a  miss, 
and  she  carried  her  notes  wonderfully. ' ' 

"Let  her  keep  this  work  up,"  said  the  principal, 
' '  for  it  is  her  God-given  vocation. ' ' 

On  the  way  home  Amelia  Lesser  would  not  let  go  of 
the  great  opera  singer.  "Some  day  you  will  not  recog- 
nize us  poor  people  when  you  get  to  be  great.  My,  you 
took  my  breath  away!  I  can't  wait  until  papa  comes 
home  to  tell  him."  As  they  bade  Mrs.  Lesser  good-by  she 
made  them  promise  to  come  to  dinner,  which  they  did 
gladly. 

On  the  way  home  Ronile  said,  "If  Mrs.  Lesser  asks 
me  to  come  some  afternoon,  I  will  gladly  go  for  I  am 
afraid  I  will  forget  my  notes." 

When  they  were  sitting  around  the  table,  making  a 
big  fuss  about  Ronile,  calling  her  the  opera  star,  Ronile 
was  sad.  She  had  something  on  her  mind. 

"What  is  worrying  you,  dear?"  asked  her  mother. 

"I  was  thinking  of  how  Mrs.  Paine  pulled  my  hair; 
can  I  tell  it?" 

"You  have  already,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser,  amused.  Then 
they  told  of  their  experience  with  the  new  landlady. 

"Well,  I'll  be  "  thundered  the  boss!  "I'll  go 


ONE  TONGUE  LIGHTS  FIRES  OF  HELL      173 

up  and  make  her  say  her  last  prayers.  I'll  thrash  every 
wicked  spark  out  of  that  hussy." 

''Gee,  I'm  glad  she  got  it  from  that  gymnasium 
teacher,"  said  Alfred,  "and  you  certainly  gave  her  a 
hasty  'come  in'  by  making  her  fall  in.  If  you  will  let  me, 
I'll  cure  her  of  taking  things  out  of  your  pantry,"  con- 
tinued Alfred. 

"She  is  out  now,"  said  Ronile,  disappointed  that  he 
could  not  do  it  at  once. 

"Well,  that's  the  best  time;  can  I?"  asked  Alfred. 

"What  will  you  do?"  asked  his  father. 

"Oh,  if  I  told  you,  the  fun  would  be  gone." 

"Well,  sir,  you  can't  go  unless  you  tell  right  here," 
kept  on  his  father. 

"Well,  if  I  must,  all  right."  He  went  out  into  the 
kitchen,  then  came  back,  saying,  "Mama,  what  did  you 
do  with  the  big  scissors?"  His  mother  told  him  to  look 
in  the  machine  drawer.  Ronile  had  to  go  and  get  a  large 
sheet  of  wrapping  paper.  Then  Alfred  told  his  father  he 
would  show  him  when  he  had  finished.  After  awhile  he 
came  in  and  asked  the  crowd  to  come  and  see.  He  led 
them  to  a  closet,  then  pulled  the  door  swiftly  ajar. 

"Oh,  my  God,"  cried  his  mother,  "a  skeleton." 

At  first  all  were  somewhat  startled,  then  Alfred's 
father  slapped  him  on  the  shoulder  and  said,  "If  that 
thing  doesn't  knock  the  daylights  out  of  her  when  she 
opens  the  door,  I'll  be  hanged!"  Ronile  and  Alfred  then 
went  to  Mrs.  Delien's  home  to  hang  the  mysterious  skele- 
ton on  the  light  in  the  kitchen.  He  opened  the  window, 
then  the  door.  The  slight  wind  and  suction  of  air  made 
the  paper  form  move  slowly  and  mysteriously  and  they 
ran  back  to  the  Lesser  home  in  great  glee. 

"Gee,"  said  Alfred,  "there  will  be  a  funeral  if  she 
sees  that  thing." 

"Not  she,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser.  "The  likes  of  her 
need  a  clubbing  with  a  sledge  hammer." 

It  was  late  when  Ronile  and  her  mother  went  home, 
as  the  folks  said  it  was  better  to  wait  lest  they  arrived 
too  soon,  "for,"  said  Ronile,  "if  she  comes  before  us,  she 
will  not  know  Alfred  and  I  were  there  in  the  meantime, 
and  will  think  we  have  been  out  since  six  o'clock." 


174  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Where  did  she  go?"  asked  the  boss. 

"To  some  affair  of  the  Lodge,  I  heard  her  say.  You 
should  have  seen  her.  She  was  all  dressed  up  in  a  funny 
colored  dress  and  she  went  to  the  ten-cent  store  and 
bought  eye-glasses  to  make  herself  look  more  refined," 
said  Ronile. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  the  mother,  "she  came  to  our  door 
and  asked  us  if  we  thought  she  looked  swell  enough,  and 
say,  she  could  not  find  gloves  big  enough  to  fit  her  hands, 
so  she  bought  rubber  gloves  and  seemed  so  happy  because 
they  were  the  color  of  her  dress." 

"You  mean  she  wore  rubber  gloves  to  an  entertain- 
ment at  the  Civic  Auditorium?"  asked  Mrs.  Lesser. 

"Exactly,"  assured  Mrs.  Delien. 

"Some  nut,"  said  Lester,  as  he  bent  over  kissing 
his  little  honey-bunch  for  about  the  fiftieth  time  since 
dinner. 

The  next  morning  Mrs.  Paine  did  not  answer  the  bell 
when  Mrs.  Lesser  came  to  see  how  the  skeleton  made  out. 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  as  she  rolled  up  the  paper 
ghost,  "that  skeleton  seems  to  have  done  its  work  well. 
She  is  nowhere  to  be  seen  and  I  think  from  now  on  she 
will  not  be  anxious  to  go  into  the  kitchen." 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

GOOD  BLOSSOMS  AMONG  THISTLES  AND  THORNS 

Mrs.  Lesser  walked  to  the  window  and  pointing  to 
a  large  building  at  the  corner  of  Haight  and  Buchanan 
streets,  said:  "There  is  a  first-class  boarding-house,  but 
I  don't  know  whether  they  would  allow  you  to  get  your 
own  meals.  I  will  go  and  see  what  arrangements  can  be 
made." 

''You  are  so  good,  Mrs.  Lesser,  but  please  let  me  go. 
I  know  you  will  not  rest  until  we  are  permanently  set- 
tled," said  Mrs.  Delien. 

"All  right,  we  will  go  together,"  replied  Mrs.  Lesser. 
They  passed  through  a  little  alley  for  a  short  cut,  and  in 
doing  so  got  a  full  view  of  the  garden  in  the  yard  be- 
longing to  the  house,  which  had  once  been  owned  by  a 
wealthy  Scotch  family. 

"It  looks  like  a  nice  place  if  we  can  judge  by  its 
looks,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser  as  she  rang  the  bell,  and  waited 
inside  the  vestibule  which  was  all  in  marble.  The  door 
was  opened  by  a  stout  pleasant  looking  lady,  whose  hair 
was  golden  in  color,  although  she  looked  to  be  between 
forty-five  and  fifty  years  old. 

Mrs.  Lesser  spoke  first.  "Have  you  any  light  house- 
keeping rooms  for  rent?" 

The  lady  shook  her  head  saying,  "I  am  sorry  but 
this  is  a  boarding-house." 

"Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  "is  there  no  way  you  could 
manage  so  that  I  could  get  our  own  meals?  I  like  the 
place  very  much  and  would  like  to  live  here.  What  do 
you  charge  for  board  and  room?" 

"Yes,  I  think  I  could,"  said  the  landlady  as  she 
looked  at  the  enquirer,  then  said,  "Ten  dollars  a  week 
for  room  and  two  meals  a  day." 

"Oh,  I  have  a  daughter  who  is  going  to  Normal 
School,  and  that  would  be  more  than  I  could  pay." 

"But,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser  hopefully,  "you  don't 
charge  full  board  for  a  girl  of  ten?" 

"No,  I  could  make  it  sixty  dollars  a  month  for  both," 


176  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

replied  the  landlady;  "come  in  and  let  us  talk  it  over, 
perhaps  we  can  arrange  it  in  some  way." 

"I  wonder  if  you  know  her  daughter?"  asked  Mrs. 
Lesser.  "If  I  remember  rightly  I  think  I  saw  you  at  the 
school  at  the  opera." 

"I  was,"  answered  the  landlady,  interested. 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser,  "the  little  girl  who  played 
'Arline'  is  the  daughter  of  this  lady." 

"Is  that  so?" 

"Yes,  this  is  Mrs.  Delien,  and  Ronile  is  her  daugh- 
ter." 

"You  must  be  very  proud  of  such  a  pretty  little  girl 
with  such  wonderful  curls.  We  know  her  very  well." 
She  thought  for  a  moment,  then  said:  "Let's  see,  I  have 
a  room  with  twin  beds.  I  could  let  you  have  that  for 
twenty  dollars  a  month,  and  if  you  thought  the  board 
was  more  than  you  could  afford  to  pay,  you  could  cook 
your  meals  in  our  kitchen,"  and  again  sizing  up  Mrs. 
Delien,  she  went  on,  "You  don't  look  like  a  busy-body  or 
a  woman  who  would  leave  things  untidy." 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser.  "She  has  been  living 
with  us,  and  we  got  along  so  well,  but  my  daughter  got 
married  and  she  is  so  young  that  I  can't  let  her  live 
away  from  me;  otherwise  we  would  not  let  Mrs.  Delien 
leave  us,  never,"  she  concluded. 

"The  very  fact  of  your  coming  with  the  lady  shows 
how  much  you  care  for  her  welfare,"  said  Mrs.  Handel, 
the  landlady.  Here  she  arose,  saying,  "Let  us  go  upstairs 
and  look  at  the  room."  The  room  was  nicely  furnished 
with  two  brass  beds,  and  bird's-eye  maple  dresser  and 
chiffonier. 

"Oh,  this  is  a  nice  room,  and  it  is  just  as  sunny  as 
the  other  and  there  is  such  a  nice  view,  but  can  you  pay 
the  twenty  dollars?"  she  whispered  to  Mrs.  Delien. 

"Oh,  we  will  manage  some  way,"  came  the  answer, 
with  a  hopeful  look  in  her  eyes.  They  went  to  the  win- 
dow overlooking  the  garden.  A  huge,  stately  palm  grew 
in  the  center;  there  were  all  kinds  of  flowers  in  bloom, 
and  artistic  arbors  covered  with  all  kinds  of  roses,  climb- 
ing up  to  the  second  story. 

"This  is  nice,"  said  Mrs.  Handel,  showing  them  the 


BLOSSOMS  AMONG  THISTLES  AND  THORNS    177 

advantage  of  the  sun  as  it  came  in  at  the  different  angles 
of  the  bay  window. 

"A  good  place  to  work  in,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  much 
pleased,  but  trying  not  to  show  too  much  enthusiasm.  An 
inward  prayer  was  sent  out,  "  If  it  is  Thy  will,  oh,  Father, 
here  I  would  love  to  praise  Thee,  for  Thy  stars  will  shine, 
Thy  sun  and  moonbeams  reach  my  bed." 

"Here  you  would  have  peace  and  quiet,"  said  her 
friend;  "you  will  earn  more  and  then  it  will  be  easy  to 
pay  the  rent. ' ' 

Coming  back  into  the  drawing-room,  the  Woman  ad- 
mired the  gorgeous  chandelier  of  crystal,  also  the  hand- 
painted  fresco  work  on  the  wall  and  the  ceiling. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Lesser,  "here  is  an  artist;  she  re- 
ceived the  Gold  Medal  at  the  Fair." 

"How  wonderful!"  said  Mrs.  Handel,  clasping  her 
hands;  "and  to  think  she  has  a  Gold  Medal  and  yet  can- 
not afford  to  eat  with  us." 

"Thus  is  the  way  of  the  world,"  said  the  Woman, 
smiling,  as  they  started  home  to  get  ready  to  move. 

"My,"  said  Alfred  to  his  chum  as  they  wheeled  the 
trunk  through  the  alley,  "I  bet  that  fat  hussy  is  still  in 
bed  and  now  that  Mrs.  Delien  is  moving  she  will  think 
that  Ronile  and  her  mother  saw  the  ghost,  too.  Say,  you 
know,  the  gym  teacher  is  moving  in  the  same  place;  it's 
just  what  she  wanted,"  Alfred  continued. 

"That  will  surely  prove  to  that  busy-body  that 
something  is  not  quite  right,"  said  Alfred's  partner. 
' '  This  is  quite  a  contrast  to  that  other  place. ' ' 

"The  first  dinner,  you  will  have  to  eat  in  the  dining- 
room  for  I  want  you  to  meet  my  guests,"  begged  the 
landlady  when  the  Woman  and  Ronile  had  moved  in.  In 
a  clever  way  the  hostess  told  the  rest  of  the  guests  that 
they  would  not  be  with  them  every  meal  as  Ronile  was  on 
a  diet,  and  "they  eat  very  simple  food,"  she  concluded. 

There  were  Dr.  Maclensia,  a  Spanish  gentleman  and 
his  spinster  sister,  who  were  visiting  the  World's  Fair. 
He  seemed  to  enjoy  having  new  guests,  and  remarked  that 
they  could  eat  their  simple  meal  in  the  dining-room  and 
not  upstairs. 

At  the  end  of  the  table  sat  Mrs.  Wesson  from  Con- 


178  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

necticut,  who  spent  her  time  traveling  around,  and  util- 
ized most  of  it,  it  seemed,  in  trying  to  appear  younger 
than  she  really  was,  for  in  spite  of  her  gray  hair  she 
wore  a  Dresden  ribbon  tied  around  her  head  with  a  bow 
on  the  side,  and  a  pink  dinner  gown  graced  her  lean  form, 
her  neck  and  ears  being  adorned  with  coral  decorations. 
Her  eyes  were  of  a  gray-green  color,  and  very  small ;  her 
mouth,  however,  was  quite  large,  showing  a  set  of  even 
false  teeth,  that  seemed  to  clap  at  times  as  she  tried  to 
do  justice  to  the  delicious  looking  ear  of  corn.  At  the 
doctor's  remark  she  stopped  eating,  and  looking  at  him 
meaningly,  said,  "Do  I  hear  aright?  This — a — lady" 

"Mrs.  Delien,"  corrected  the  hostess. 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  continued,  "is  going  to  cook  her  own 
meals ;  will  you  have  room  in  your  kitchen,  my  dear  Mrs. 
Handel?" 

"Lots  of  good  sheep  go  in  a  stable,"  answered  the 
landlady  joyfully.  A  thankful  look  greeted  her  as  she 
glanced  at  her  new  guest. 

"Are  you  a  working  woman?"  asked  Mrs.  Wesson, 
trying  to  show  the  doctor  that  he  need  not  interest  him- 
self too  closely  in  a  common  worker. 

"I  am,"  was  the  simple  answer. 

Here  the  white-haired  decorated  lady  looked  at  the 
landlady  with  a  reproachful  look,  saying,  "You  have 
been  recommended  to  me  as  a  first-class  boarding-house 
keeper." 

"They  informed  you  correctly,"  came  the  quick  reply 
from  Mrs.  Handel,  who  had  begun  to  bite  her  lips  and 
look  somewhat  annoyed. 

"But  you  never  rented  light  housekeeping  rooms," 
said  Mrs.  Wesson. 

"I  don't  call  that  common;  we  have  a  fire  all  day 
and  it  will  not  make  much  difference  to  the  stove  who 
cooks  as  long  as  I  am  satisfied;  besides  this  little  lady 
here,"  pointing  to  Ronile,  "is  a  little  run  down.  You 
may  have  read  some  time  ago  about  how  she  got  hurt  at 
the  Southern  Pacific  station,  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital. ' ' 

"Oh,  I  do  remember,"  said  the  doctor,  "so  you  are 
the  little  lady,  but  you  are  well  now?" 


BLOSSOMS  AMONG  THISTLES  AND  THORNS    179 

"Oh,  yes,  thank  you  I  am  very  well,"  answered 
Ronile. 

"Too  bad,  doctor,  that  you  missed  the  play  at  the 
Normal  School,"  said  Mrs.  Handel,  "this  young  lady 
played  and  sang  beautifully.  I  saw  her.  I  also  want  to 
draw  your  attention  to  her  mother,  Mrs.  Delien,  who  is 
the  owner  of  that  beautiful  basket  of  flowers  at  the  Fair, 
and  was  awarded  the  Gold  Medal,  so  I  don't  think  we 
should  class  her  as  a  common  working  woman.  It  is  bad 
enough  that  an  artist  like  Mrs.  Delien  has  to  live  with  us. ' ' 
Here  she  looked  at  Mrs.  Wesson  with  a  triumphant  glint 
in  her  eye,  thinking,  "Now  will  you  be  good." 

"She  ought  to  be  living  at  the  St.  Francis,"  replied 
the  lady  of  the  Dresden  ribbon. 

After  dinner,  Ronile  remarked  to  her  mother,  "Why 
is  the  old  lady  tied  on  top  with  a  ribbon?" 

A  bystander,  a  young  man,  heard  the  remark  and 
laughingly  said,  "Why,  the  lady's  brains  have  to  be  tied 
up  so  they  can't  leak  out." 

When  they  went  upstairs,  they  sat  by  the  window 
and  watched  the  sunset.  "Mother,  we  can  see  the  sun 
all  day,  from  rising  to  setting,"  said  Ronile. 

"Yes,  dear,  we  will  thank  the  Father  for  leading  us 
here,  but  from  now  on  we  will  eat  our  meals  alone,  and 
avoid  the  stigma  of  the  lady  who  does  not  know  us  and 
yet  dislikes  us." 

"I  know  why,"  said  Ronile.  "Somebody  in  the 
kitchen  said,  'There  will  be  trouble  if  that  good-looking 
newcomer  eats  at  the  table  with  Mrs.  Wesson  and  the 
doctor,  for  she  has  her  cap  set  for  him. '  ' 

"Well,  my  dear,  from  now  on  you  will  not  listen  to 
any  such  remarks  and  we  will  stay  to  ourselves, ' '  said  the 
mother  much  relieved.  ' '  This  is  a  kingdom ;  such  a  gar- 
den and  fine  view  of  the  sky,  why  we  will  never  need  a 
light  in  here ! ' '  Here  the  Woman  stretched  out  her  arms, 
not  in  crucifixion,  but  in  thanksgiving  for  the  redemption, 
a  move  to  exaltation. 

Ronile  pulled  out  the  zither  and  begged  her  mother 
to  play. 

"Why,  my  dear?"  asked  her  mother. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know,  but  I  just  feel  you  ought  to  play 


180  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

and  thank  the  Lord.  He  will  hear  your  gladness  through 
the  music  and  bless  this  house." 

"Very  well,  my  good  little  partner,"  said  the 
mother,  as  she  struck  the  notes  on  the  autoharp. 

Eonile  stood  up  and  sang  in  a  clear  voice,  "Hope  in 
the  Lord."  The  mother  sang  alto.  Forgotten  was  the 
world,  as  these  two  children  of  God  sang  their  praises 
from  thankful  hearts.  After  they  had  finished  they  both 
looked  up  at  the  sky ;  a  light  seemed  to  shoot  down  like 
a  comet. 

"Oh,"  said  Ronile,  as  she  clasped  her  hands,  "did  I 
not  tell  you?  God  sends  us  greetings  with  a  light  from 
the  stars  and  here  on  the  hill  we  can  see  every  star  that 
shoots  through  the  sky."  After  a  while  sounds  of  piano- 
playing  came  from  the  rooms  below. 

A  woman's  voice  was  trying  hard  to  express  love's 
sweet  sentiment  by  singing  as  loud  as  she  could,  "I  only 
know  I  love  you ;  love  me  and  the  world  is  mine. ' ' 

"That's  for  the  doctor,"  said  Ronile  in  a  whisper. 

"Deary,  this  change  has  almost  made  you  mis- 
chievous. I  don't  like  to  have  you  pass  remarks  about 
people.  They  are  unfortunately  very  selfish  and  far  from 
happy." 

"Somebody  is  knocking,"  said  Ronile,  running  to  the 
door  and  opening  it.  The  visitor  was  Annabelle,  Mrs. 
Handel's  adopted  daughter.  She  was  a  fair  young  girl, 
with  oval  face,  straight  nose,  a  perfect  mouth  and  large 
brown  eyes,  and  the  sad  expression  on  her  face  made  her 
resemble  a  flower. 

She  took  Ronile  in  her  arms  and  patted  her,  saying, 
"I  like  to  see  you  play;  that  was  grand  at  school." 

"Did  you  like  it,  you  sweet  Madonna  face?"  said 
Ronile  in  earnest.  Annabelle  laughed,  showing  a  row  of 
perfectly  shaped  pearl-white  teeth. 

The  Woman  asked  her  to  come  in,  but  the  pretty  girl 
excused  herself,  saying,  "I  have  no  time  now,  but  Mrs. 
Handel  would  like  to  have  you  come  down  into  the  draw- 
ing-room with  the  harp.  Is  that  it?"  asked  Annabelle 
going  toward  the  zither,  "I  thought  from  the  sound  that 
it  was  a  great  big  harp,  and  they  are  arguing  about  it, 


BLOSSOMS  AMONG  THISTLES  AND  THORNS    181 

saying  you  did  not  bring  a  large  instrument  when  you 
moved  in,  and  yet  you  play  it." 

" Deary,"  said  the  Woman,  "we  are  not  like  other 
people  and  don't  belong  in  the  drawing-room.  So  tell 
your  dear  mother  not  to  call  us  hereafter,  will  you?" 

"All  right,"  said  the  girl,  half -disappointed,  "but 
you  will  come  down  now?" 

"Yes,  we  will." 

They  walked  down  the  great  staircase,  Ronile  sing- 
ing, "I  Dreamt  I  Dwelt  in  Marble  Halls." 

Mrs.  Handel  came  over  and  led  them  to  a  settee,  say- 
ing, "Where  is  the  harp?" 

"We  never  play  it  in  public,  and  did  not  think  you 
heard  us,"  said  Mrs.  Delien. 

"Yes,  we  heard  you,  and  we  did  so  enjoy  the  sweet 
strain,"  said  the  cordial  landlady. 

Ronile  walked  over,  studying  some  notes  on  the 
piano. 

"Ah,  Miss  Ronilia,"  said  the  doctor,  walking  over  to 
her,  "you  play?" 

"A  little,"  replied  Ronile. 

"Why  don't  you?"  he  asked. 

"May  I?"  she  asked,  turning  to  the  landlady,  who 
saw  her  pleading  look  and  said,  "Yes,  Ronile,  play  some- 
thing." 

"You  must  excuse  me  if  I  make  mistakes;  I  have  not 
practiced  lately."  She  sat  down  and  played  Pader- 
ewski's  "Minuet."  The  doctor  and  his  sister  arose  and 
danced  it  with  elegance  and  grace.  When  they  finished 
all  clapped  and  the  dancers  praised  the  musician. 

"It  is  my  favorite  piece,"  said  the  Spanish  lady,  Miss 
Dolores  Maclensia.  "I  love  it.  Paderewski  was  my 
teacher,  and  you,  Miss  Ronilia,  play  very  well;  you  are 
so  young." 

"Play  a  Fox  Trot,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Wesson. 

' '  I  am  sorry,  I  can 't  play  popular  music  at  all, ' '  said 
Ronile. 

"Very  good  for  you;  there  is  not  much  harmony  in 
it,"  said  the  Spanish  lady. 

"That  was  very  good,  Ronile,"  said  Mrs.  Handel. 
"Music  just  bubbles  out  of  you,  and  whenever  you  want 


182  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

to  practice,  you  are  welcome  to  use  the  piano  after  four 
in  the  afternoon. ' ' 

"I  take  my  nap  in  the  afternoon,"  said  Mrs.  Wes- 
son, pettishly. 

"But,  madam,"  said  the  doctor,  "you  don't  intend 
to  sleep  after  four  in  the  afternoon?  Of  course,  I  admit 
you  need  a  lot  of  beauty  sleep  but  that  you  can  get  be- 
tween two  and  four." 

The  obstinate,  love-sick  lady  crossed  her  legs  im- 
patiently. She  did  not  like  to  have  the  doctor  address 
her  so  rudely  and  blamed  the  newcomer.  Mrs.  Delien 
felt  the  antagonism  and  thought  she  and  Ronile  would 
keep  out  of  that  lady's  way. 

The  landlady's  thoughts  ran  the  same  way  as  she 
looked  sweetly  toward  her  new  guest,  who  walked  over 
toward  her,  saying,  "You  realize  we  do  not  belong  here 
and  please  don't  ask  us  again." 

A  sigh  came  from  the  good-natured  blonde  hostess, 
as  she  said:  "Now,  I  want  to  love  you  just  as  much  as 
the  lady  you  lived  with  before,  so  please  feel  at  home. 
The  house  is  open  to  all  my  guests,  remember  that." 

"Thank  you,  my  dear  Mrs.  Handel."  Here  the  con- 
versation ended,  as  Miss  Maclensia  was  playing.  Ronile 
complied  with  the  request  of  the  Spanish  people  by  sing- 
ing, "I  Dreamt  I  Dwelt  in  Marble  Halls."  All  eyes  were 
fixed  on  the  little  girl  as  she  stood  by  the  piano,  her 
eyes  running  over  the  notes  and  her  voice  ringing  out  as 
if  she  alone  were  there,  and  that  there  was  a  forest  of 
cool,  balmy  breezes  with  a  mixture  of  pine  and  laurel. 
The  drawing-room  was  forgotten.  There  stood  the  gypsy 
maid,  entrancing  the  audience  and  leading  them  through 
the  forest  up  a  great  mountain  with  rippling  brooks  and 
roaring  waterfalls,  into  a  great  marble  palace  with  glit- 
tering jewels  in  its  mammoth  pillars.  There  were  foun- 
tains in  the  great  rotunda  and  downy  swans  gliding 
through  the  mirror-like  surface.  Great  arbors  of  smilax 
and  myrtle  concealed  the  meditators,  while  huge  orchards 
of  orange  blossoms  filled  the  air  in  accord  with  the  chirp- 
ing of  the  mocking  birds  and  nightingales,  where  lips  met 
to  seal  a  promise  of  everlasting  love.  "But  I  also  dreamt, 
which  pleased  me  most,  that  you  loved  me  still  the  same," 


BLOSSOMS  AMONG  THISTLES  AND  THORNS    183 

she  concluded.  Her  eyes  changed  to  a  natural  expres- 
sion. 

"You  are  very  wonderful!"  said  the  doctor,  going 
toward  her  and  taking  her  hand  in  his  and  patting  her 
gently  as  he  continued:  "You  must  keep  this  up;  the 
world  needs  you,  but  just  as  you  are  now.  Forget  the 
world  and  lead  them  as  you  did  us  this  evening,  then  you 
will  create  only  happiness." 

"I  will  try,"  said  Ronile,  as  she  joined  her  mother 
to  retire. 

"Good  night,  little  star,  keep  shining,"  said  Mrs. 
Handel  from  the  lower  hall  as  they  ascended. 

After  they  had  gone,  it  seemed  the  life  of  the  party 
had  disappeared,  and  some  began  to  yawn.  "She  is  a 
very  good  entertainer,"  said  one  of  the  gentlemen.  Mrs. 
Wesson  had  not  taken  much  part  in  praising  the  little 
girl.  She  kept  twisting  her  precious  jeweled  rings  on  her 
bony  fingers  during  the  singing. 

On  hearing  this  remark  she  said  impatiently:  "You 
make  me  sick,  one  would  think  she  were  the  only  little 
girl  on  earth.  Why,  she  will  be  so  stuck  up  she  won't 
know  us  tomorrow." 

"Oh,  no,"  said  the  doctor,  "she  knows  not  herself 
when  art  comes  in.  It  is  not  in  her.  She  is  just  a  natural 
child,  beautiful  in  every  way.  It  is  proven  that  the  best 
way  to  become  beautiful  is  to  think  wholesome  and  beau- 
tiful thoughts.  I  have  studied  some  occult  science.  It 
teaches  in  a  wonderful  way.  Thought  manipulation;  it 
works  like  a  thread  that  shoots  from  the  shuttle  of  the 
brain  and  weaves  on  the  garment  of  existence.  This 
child's  shuttle  weaves  for  everybody  alike,  thus  it 
shrouds  everything  it  comes  in  contact  with  into  a  beau- 
tiful robe.  Being  clothed  in  such  attire  you  must  esteem 
the  giver.  One  is  not  comfortable  entering  a  palace  with 
chappes  on." 

"The  attire  makes  the  man's  appearance,"  said  Mr. 
Handel,  a  sickly  looking  man,  with  a  pleasing  smile  and 
seemingly  a  great  thinker.  "You  are  right  in  what  you 
say,  doctor,  I  agree  with  you  and  if  you  can't  always 
be  in  full  dress,  one  can  easily  radiate  with  a  smiling 


184  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

countenance.  This  has  been  a  happy  evening  and  I  feel 
better,"  said  Mr.  Handel  to  his  wife. 

"Yes,  dear,  this  child  brings  happiness  and  I  don't 
blame  the  Woman  for  keeping  her  away  from  the  environ- 
ment of  a  jealous  person  like  Mrs.  Wesson." 

"Yes,  I  believe  her  selfish  disposition  makes  her 
homely,"  said  Mr.  Handel. 

"I  am  sorry  for  her,"  said  his  wife,  "we  are  going 
to  try  to  keep  them  apart.  I  enjoy  the  little  one's  com- 
pany, but  her  mother  won't  let  her  sing  every  night,  I  am 
sure. ' ' 

She  was  right  for  every  night  after  supper  Ronile  and 
her  mother  took  a  walk  and  if  Mrs.  Wesson  was  in  the 
drawing-room  singing,  the  rest  of  the  guests  went  out  for 
a  walk  and  in  coming  back  would  resort  to  the  back  stair- 
case to  get  to  their  rooms. 


"There  stood  the  gypsy  maid,  entrancing  the  audience  and  leading  them 
through  great  forests,  to  arbors  of  sniilax  and  myrtle,  where  lips  met  to 
seal  a  promise  of  everlasting  love." — Page  182. 


Christinas  was  drawing  near;  the  Fair  was  closing. 
The  Woman  tried  hard  to  sell  her  display  but  as  she  could 
go  to  the  Fair  Grounds  only  on  Sunday,  it  seemed  the 
visitors  were  just  admirers  and  not  buyers.  Wearily  the 
Woman  and  Ronile  walked  toward  the  Fine  Arts  Palace. 
Ronile  stood  by  the  statue  of  the  Duck-baby  while  her 
mother  snapped  her  picture.  The  magnificent  buildings 
had  lost  their  beautiful  aspect,  some  starting  to  crumble  at 
the  corners.  Thousands  of  pigeons  flew  around  seeking  for 
crumbs. 

It  was  a  chilly  day  and  the  Woman  remarked,  "If 
I  don't  sell  the  basket  today,  then  I  will  know  that  I 
should  keep  it." 

"God  may  not  want  you  to  sell  it,  mother  dear,"  said 
Ronile. 

"Perhaps  not,"  came  the  weary  reply.  Thus  the 
great  gates  closed  and  the  curtain  fell  on  a  City  Beautiful 
that  held  in  its  embrace  achievements  from  millions  of 
minds,  as  they  handed  the  gift  of  creation  down  from 
century  to  century,  absorbing  the  brilliancy  of  each  mind 
as  they  passed  along  on  the  road  of  time. 

"Oh,  mother,"  said  Ronile,  "where  will  all  the  jewels 
from  the  great  tower  go  ? " 

"They  are  coming  down  to  be  sold  like  everything 
that  has  climbed  to  bear  fruit.  Our  basket  has  well  served 
its  mission.  There  is  a  diploma,  a  blue  ribbon  and  a  gold 
medal  which  we  hold  as  the  price  it  attained." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Ronile,  "why  not  keep  the  basket? 
Mama  Handel,"  as  she  called  the  new  landlady,  "said  we 
should  put  it  in  the  drawing-room,  case  and  all, ' '  continued 
Ronile,  as  she  was  anxious  to  keep  the  basket. 

"But,  dear,"  said  the  mother  wistfully,  "suppose  we 
want  to  go  east?" 

' '  It  can  go  with  us,  mother, ' '  came  the  practical  answer. 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  mother,  more  cheerfully, 
"we  will  just  hold  onto  it  until  the  buyer  comes  along,  or 


186  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

perhaps  we  are  to  keep  it;  otherwise  it  would  have  been 
sold  long  ago." 

A  lady  buyer  who  had  given  the  flower-maker  many 
orders,  came  along  as  they  returned  and  stood  by  the  ex- 
hibit. She  represented  one  of  the  largest  stores. 

' '  Did  you  sell  it  ? "  she  asked,  anxious  that  the  Woman 
should  get  her  money  out  of  the  work. 

"No,"  came  the  answer. 

"Well,"  said  the  buyer,  "take  out  the  flowers,  and  I 
will  buy  them." 

"I  can't,"  said  the  artist,  "it  is  like  tearing  the 
branches  from  a  tree." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  buyer,  looking  over  the  bas- 
ket, "it  would  be  a  shame  to  tear  apart  such  a  wonderful 
creation.  If  I  had  my  way  I  would  buy  it  for  a  window 
display  with  French  novelties,  but  the  manager  says,  'What 
will  it  bring?'  He  thinks  it  ought  to  go  into  the  Museum 
and  really,  that  is  the  place  for  it, ' '  she  concluded. 

"I  can't  afford  to  donate  it  now.  I  will  let  you  dis- 
play it  if  you  wish, ' '  said  the  Woman. 

"All  right,"  came  the  pleased  answer,  "then  you 
won 't  have  to  bother  about  moving  it.  When  our  men  take 
out  our  exhibit,  they  can  move  yours  also." 

A  few  days  later  Annabelle  came  eagerly  to  the 
Woman's  room,  saying:  "Your  basket  is  at  the  corner  win- 
dow of  the  great  stores,  and  it  looks  grand;  there  are 
crowds  of  people  around  admiring  it.  You  ought  to  see  it." 

After  a  month  the  display  was  transferred  to  the  Hotel 
St.  Francis,  where  it  enchanted  the  guests  in  the  Loung- 
ing Room  for  a  year. 

After  the  Fair  closed  the  Sundays  seemed  lonesome 
to  Ronile  and  her  mother.  They  usually  went  to  Golden 
Gate  Park  to  listen  to  the  music.  One  Sunday  it  rained. 

"No  park,  today,"  said  Ronile  in  a  disappointed  tone 
as  she  looked  out  of  the  window. 

"Suppose  we  take  a  walk  down  town,"  suggested 
the  mother,  which  they  did.  Going  down  Page  Street  they 
passed  Druid's  Temple.  A  sign  on  the  door  announced 
a  spiritualistic  gathering  and  named  a  noted  male  me- 
dium. 

"I  heard  the  doctor  speak  of  him,  he  calls  him  a 


JUST  A  VIOLET  CHRISTMAS  MORNING      187 

der,"  said  the  "Woman.  "It  is  queer,  I  cannot  read  the 
book  he  gave  me.  Every  time  I  look  at  the  print  it  begins 
to  swim  in  front  of  me.  I  wonder  if  this  medium  could 
answer  why,"  she  thought,  and  with  this  on  her  mind 
they  joined  the  already  started  circle.  They  took  the  last 
seats  and  watched  intently  the  gentleman  in  the  center  of 
the  fairly  filled  hall.  The  Woman's  thought  again  went 
out  to  him,  "Why  can  I  not  read  that  book?"  The  medium 
stopped  short  in  his  message  that  he  was  transmitting  to 
a  lady  about  a  departed  son. 

Coming  toward  the  flower-maker  he  said,  "Why  should 
you  gather  fallen  leaves  when  your  own  tree  of  knowledge 
needs  all  the  attention  you  can  give  it?" 

"How  wonderful,"  thought  the  Woman,  "he  answered 
my  thoughts." 

"Sister,"  he  said,  "why  are  you  in  the  last  seat? 
You  should  be  in  the  center  to  give  unto  hungry  souls,  for 
the  light  of  spiritual  wisdom  shines  on  your  brow.  You 
must  give  out  as  the  great  loving  spirit  of  charity  has 
chosen  you  to  transmit." 

He  took  the  Woman's  hand  and  led  her  to  the  center 
of  the  hall.  No  introduction  was  necessary,  for  it  was  a 
spiritual  gateway  that  opens  by  an  all-seeing  eye,  where 
self  is  forgotten,  the  soul  tied  to  the  banner  of  Lead  Thou 
Me  On. 

As  if  under  a  hypnotic  spell  she  gave  out  what  first 
came  to  her  mind,  and  went  to  the  ones  she  felt  most 
impressed  to  go  to,  giving  as  it  came  in  rapid  current  of 
thought,  getting  stronger  as  she  went,  thus  proving  to  be 
an  able  transmitter  between  body  and  soul.  After  reach- 
ing about  the  tenth  eager  person  who  waited  for  a  sign 
from  a  loved  one  departed,  she  became  herself  again  and 
stopped. 

"What  have  I  told  you,  my  sisters  and  brothers? 
there  is  a  star  shining  through  each  of  you,  only  you  keep 
it  concealed  in  egoism,"  said  the  presiding  gentleman 
medium.  Turning  to  the  newly  installed  medium,  he  said, 
' '  My  good  sister,  may  the  unseen  spirit  of  love  and  wisdom 
guide  you  on.  Have  you  ever  been  in  public  before?" 

"No,"  came  the  simple  answer. 

"Well,  then,  it  is  not  fair  to  soul  and  man,  if  you  do 


188  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

understand  the  law  of  transmission,  to  keep  that  power 
from  spreading.  Remember  it  was  the  greatest  teaching  of 
Christ,  the  Nazarene,  to  impress  spiritualism  on  mankind. ' ' 
The  flower-maker  went  back  to  her  seat. 

Ronile  took  her  hand,  saying,  "Oh,  mother,  I  was  so 
worried,  but  you  did  well." 

' '  I  hardly  know  what  I  did, ' '  came  the  distant  answer. 

' '  Whatever  made  you  do  it, ' '  said  Ronile,  wisely,  ' '  you 
did  well.  Why  mother,  you  told  them  wonderful  things. 
Some  of  them  are  still  crying.  One  lady  said  she  tried  for 
years  to  get  in  touch  with  the  soul  of  her  husband,  and 
you  brought  him;  how  wonderful,"  Ronile  whispered. 

After  the  prayer  of  thanks  was  said  and  the  organ 
played,  "God  Be  With  You  Till  We  Meet  Again,"  many 
people  came  over  to  get  the  address  of  the  Woman  for  a 
private  interview,  but  the  Woman  said  she  could  not  do 
that  as  she  was  making  flowers. 

' '  Come  next  Wednesday  afternoon,  then,  we  want  you 
so  badly  to  help  us,  as  the  congregation  grows  and  good 
mediums  are  scarce." 

It  was  close  to  Christmas  and  the  Woman  worked  hard 
to  turn  out  her  orders.  She  felt  that  giving  the  test  weak- 
ened her  and  she  had  not  the  strength  to  make  the  flowers, 
so  she  gave  up  going  to  the  meetings.  The  last  Wednesday 
afternoon  before  Christmas  she  worked  hard  to  turn  out 
an  order.  However,  a  strong  desire  overcame  her  to  go 
to  Druid's  Temple.  Her  ambition  for  the  flowers  seemed 
to  weaken  so  she  thought  a  walk  down  the  hill,  if  she  was 
needed  to  help,  would  at  least  brace  her  up,  and  she  could 
finish  the  order  in  the  evening.  She  changed  her  dress 
and  went.  As  she  went  in,  the  medium,  Mrs.  Smith,  was 
on  the  platform. 

"See,  my  sisters  and  brothers,"  she  said  as  she  made 
room  for  the  newcomer,  "our  prayer  helped,  here  she  is." 

"Do  you  need  me?"  asked  the  flower-maker. 

"Yes,  we  do,"  said  the  medium,  with  a  painful  twitch 
on  her  sweet  face. 

"Very  well,  I  will  see."  They  had  a  table  in  the 
center  of  the  room.  On  it  were  trinkets,  flowers,  envelopes, 
all  kinds  of  emblems  to  reach  toward  the  unseen  departed 
loved  ones. 


JUST  A  VIOLET  CHBISTMAS  MORNING      189 

"What  is  this  for?"  asked  the  flower-maker. 

"Did  you  never  give  flower  readings?"  asked  Mrs. 
Smith. 

"No,  but  I  will  try,"  and  thus  saying  the  Woman 
reached  mechanically  toward  something,  then  stopped  as 
if  she  were  listening  to  someone.  She  took  a  bracelet  and 
held  it  in  her  left  hand,  then  walked  toward  Mrs.  Smith, 
who  was  sitting  on  the  platform. 

"I  hear  a  Dr.  Briggs,  and  he  leads  me  to  you,"  said 
the  Woman.  Mrs.  Smith  laughed  and  looked  at  the  au- 
dience with  understanding. 

"You  all  know  what  this  means,"  she  said.  Doctor 
Briggs  was  Mrs.  Smith's  spirit  guide  and  controller.  The 
Woman  did  not  know  that.  She  still  held  the  bracelet  in 
one  hand,  then  with  the  other  took  the  arm  of  Mrs.  Smith 
and  gave  it  a  quick  twist.  Then  she  turned  it  slowly  one 
way,  then  the  other.  There  was  a  cracking  sound  as  if 
something  fell  into  place. 

When  finished,  she  looked  at  Mrs.  Smith,  saying,  "I 
don't  know  why  I  had  to  do  this,  I  just  had  to." 

"I  know  you  did,"  said  Mrs.  Smith,  with  a  happy 
smile.  "Why  do  you  know,  my  good  people,  this  is  a  great 
manifestation.  You  all  know  I  fell  and  dislocated  my 
shoulder.  I  did  not  want  to  disappoint  you,  so  I  came, 
but  I  could  not  read  for  you.  Then  we  prayed  and  the 
good  Doctor  Briggs  worked  through  our  dear  sister  here, 
and  now  I  am  well.  Is  it  not  wonderful  how  the  spirit 
loved  ones  prepare  and  pave  our  future  way  with  their 
achieved  knowledge  and  patience?"  and  turning  to  the 
Woman,  she  asked:  "My  dear,  why  don't  you  start  and 
receive  these  people  ?  It  is  your  vocation,  and  you  must 
work  through  this  channel." 

"I  can't,  for  in  the  house  where  I  live  there  are  so 
many  people  who  don't  understand,"  said  the  Woman. 

' '  Come  to  my  home  tonight ;  we  will  see  by  the  trumpet 
what  the  guides  have  to  say  for  you,"  said  Mrs.  Smith. 

"Not  this  week,  I  must  finish  my  order,  but  next 
Wednesday  evening  I  shall  be  happy  to  come." 

It  was  Christmas  Eve,  and  huge  packages  were  coming 
in  for  all  in  the  house. 

' '  There  was  a  wooden  box  from  Chicago, ' '  said  Ronile, 


190 

"but  mother,  Mrs.  Handel  has  put  all  the  Christmas  boxes 
under  the  tree  and  tomorrow  morning  we  will  get  them." 

"A  very  good  idea,"  said  the  flower-maker,  clearing 
away  the  last  bits  of  thread.  "No  flowers  will  be  made 
next  week,"  she  said  happily. 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad,  mother,  for  you  are  so  restless 
at  night.  You  toss  and  twitch  so  that  I  can  hardly  sleep. ' ' 

"Yes,  I  know  I  need  a  rest,"  said  the  mother,  as  she 
brushed  her  hair  before  retiring. 

Next  morning  they  were  awakened  by  the  sounds  of 
the  Victrola.  A  full  voice  was  singing, ' '  Open  the  Gates  of 
the  Temple."  They  rose  quickly  and  dressed.  Just  as 
Ronile  received  a  new  light  blue  ribbon  on  her  curls,  a 
knock  came  at  the  door. 

"Come  in,"  said  Eonile,  beating  her  mother  to  the 
door  in  her  excitement.  It  was  Annabelle  with  two  bunches 
of  violets  from  Mama  and  Daddy  Handel. 

"They  are  waiting  for  you  at  the  breakfast  table." 
They  pinned  on  the  flowers,  but  a  few  were  pulled  out 
to  put  before  grandma  and  grandpa's  pictures.  Looking 
back  with  satisfaction,  Ronile  joined  her  mother  and  Anna- 
belle  going  down  the  stairs. 

The  rest  of  the  guests  were  all  assembled  at  their 
usual  places,  a  large  Christmas  tree  stood  at  the  bay  win- 
dow. Underneath  were  boxes  piled  up  and  dainty  things 
displayed. 

When  they  entered  all  rose  and  wished  them  a  Merry 
Christmas.  Dr.  Maclensia  made  a  low  bow,  then  said: 
"Oh,  the  pleasure,  madam.  It  is  a  long  time  since  you 
graced  this  table  with  your  esteemed  presence." 

"Thank  you,"  said  the  Woman,  as  she  sat  down.  It 
was  a  pretty  sight,  these  happy  people  in  a  large  beautifully 
decorated  room,  a  mellow  fire  burning  in  the  grate  throwing 
mysterious  little  shadows  over  the  glittering  ornaments  on 
the  splendidly  decorated  tree.  A  delicious  breakfast  was 
served.  The  attentive  hostess  glanced  over  her  guests  with 
a  satisfied  expression. 

Her  eyes  rested  a  few  minutes  on  the  doctor,  then 
suddenly  she  exclaimed:  "Oh,  my,  how  neglectful  I  am,  the 
doctor  has  not  even  a  boutonniere !  I  should  have  thought 
of  that." 


JUST  A  VIOLET  CHRISTMAS  MORNING      191 

"That's  easily  fixed,"  said  Annabelle,  with  a  slight 
blush  on  her  velvety  cheeks.  Her  beautiful  eyes  glanced 
over  the  bunches  of  violets  worn  by  the  other  guests.  She 
rose  and  went  from  one  to  the  other,  collecting  a  violet 
from  each  lady,  thus  making  a  buttonhole  bouquet  for  the 
doctor. 

"A  good  idea,"  said  Mrs.  Handel.  But  when  Anna- 
belle  came  to  Mrs.  Wesson  the  latter  held  both  her  bony 
hands  over  her  bouquet,  to  which  she  had  added  an  Ameri- 
can beauty  from  the  garden,  just  to  appear  more  distin- 
guished. 

"Why  not?"  asked  the  girl  impatiently. 

"Well,"  said  the  white-haired  lady,  who  was  dressed 
in  a  new  lavender  shade  morning  gown,  trimmed  with 
French  roses,  her  hair  tied  with  the  same  colored  ribbon, 
' '  I  want  to  give  the  dear  doctor  a  bunch  all  alone. ' ' 

"Give  him  two  if  you  want  to,"  put  in  the  practical 
hostess. 

Annabelle  sighed  impatiently  as  she  waited  to  receive 
a  flower  from  Mrs.  Wesson,  who  she  thought  acted  very 
silly  and  in  a  manner  not  becoming  to  her  white  hair. 
Annabelle  at  last  walked  away,  passing  Mr.  Handel  and 
patting  him  affectionately  on  the  shoulder,  which  he  re- 
turned with  a  loving  glance. 

When  Annabelle  came  to  Mrs.  Delien,  the  white-haired 
lady  protested,  saying,  "Annabelle,  if  you  take  any  flowers 
from  Mrs.  Delien  for  the  doctor  I  won't  give  you  any  of 
mine." 

"Then  keep  them,"  said  the  girl,  a  deep  flush  crossing 
her  face. 

"You  jealous  cat,"  said  Mrs.  Handel,  forgetting  her 
poise  for  the  moment,  "but  I  love  you  anyway,"  she 
added. 

The  doctor  noticed  the  pallor  of  the  Woman's  face, 
and  a  look  of  pity  ran  across  the  table.  He  rose  and 
bowed  courteously,  saying,  "I  want  one  violet  from  the 
distinguished  flower-maker. ' ' 

"Now,  doctor,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Wesson,  trying  hard 
to  appear  girlish,  ' '  why  not  take  my  flowers  ? ' ' 

Here  the  Woman  looked  at  him  with  great  sadness  in 
her  eyes.  "Really,  doctor,  take  them,"  she  said,  pointing 


192  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

to  Mrs.  Wesson.  "I  am  too  poor  to  spare  any."  Here 
Miss  Maclensia  rose  and  walked  over  to  the  Woman,  kissing 
her  on  each  cheek.  Then  pulling  one  flower  out  of  the 
Woman's  corsage  bouquet,  walked  back  gracefully  and  put 
it  in  the  doctor's  buttonhole.  Annabelle  took  the  small 
bunch  she  had  collected  and  put  them  in  her  daddy's  but- 
tonhole. He  kissed  his  little  girl  affectionately.  A  de- 
pressed condition  seemed  to  prevail.  Ronile  looked  up  at 
her  mother  who  tried  hard  to  suppress  the  tears  that  were 
gathering,  as  she  thought,  "Why  did  we  come?" 

"Peace  on  Earth,  Good  Will  to  Man,"  said  the  hostess 
as  she  rose  to  help  clear  the  table  before  distributing  the 
boxes  to  the  different  owners.  "Now,  doctor,  you  are 
the  distributor  for  this  year,  as  our  daddy's  heart  is  in 
bad  shape  and  we  must  prevent  excitement."  Here  she 
gave  a  warning  look  at  the  white-haired  trouble-maker. 

Mrs.  Wesson's  boxes  were  piled  up  at  the  front,  some 
already  unpacked  to  show  the  dainty  garments.  One  could 
hear  the  impatient  beats  of  her  foot  as  the  distributor  went 
over  to  get  the  first  present.  He  looked  over  the  heap  of 
negligee  garments  ironically  and  passed  them  on.  His 
eyes  fell  on  a  beautiful  poinsettia  tied  with  two  large  bows  of 
ribbon  which  matched  the  delicate  shade  of  flower. 

He  looked  at  the  card  and  read:  "To  our  dear  Mrs. 
Delien,  for  the  good  transmitting  work  she  rendered  us," 
and  signed  "The  Ladies'  Aid." 

"It  is  very  beautiful,"  said  the  doctor.  "So  that  is 
why  we  don't  see  you  with  us;  you  give  your  valuable 
sunshine  to  strangers  and  let  us  freeze." 

' '  There  is  no  outside  for  me, ' '  said  the  Woman,  a  happy 
look  returning  as  she  laid  her  hand  on  the  huge  plant. 
He  then  gave  the  hostess  a  box  from  himself  and  his  sister, 
containing  a  beautiful  dressing-gown. 

' '  My,  she  won 't  look  at  me  when  she  wears  that, ' '  said 
the  host. 

"Oh,  now,  daddy,"  she  called  back  with  a  loving  smile. 
Mrs.  Wesson  became  impatient.  The  doctor  knew  this  but 
still  dodged  her  boxes. 

"Is  there  nothing  for  me?"  she  called,  no  longer  able 
to  control  her  impatience  and  the  neglect  the  doctor  so 
vividly  showed. 


JUST  A  VIOLET  CHRISTMAS  MORNING      193 

He  turned  as  she  spoke  and  said,  "You  bought  so 
much,  I  will  never  get  finished,  if  I  once  begin  on  your 
boxes,  and  besides  you  have  seen  everything  already,  for  you 
were  the  first  one  in  here  this  morning." 

"I  would  leave  the  room,  mother,  if  he  spoke  to  me 
like  that,"  said  Ronile,  from  behind  the  poinsettia. 

The  doctor  presented  his  sister  with  a  beautiful  pair 
of  earrings  of  sapphire  and  diamonds,  saying  as  he  handed 
them  over  to  her,  "If  madam  had  not  had  that  beautiful 
exhibit  I  would  never  have  found  these  earrings,  but  I 
saw  them  and  bought  them  while  you  were  lost  in  thought 
in  front  of  the  flower  basket."  Then  he  brought  out  a 
box  neatly  tied  with  red  and  gold  ribbon. 

"May  I  open  it?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  do,"  said  Ronile. 

Then  he  brought  forth  a  little  basket,  hand-crocheted 
and  gilded,  "For  my  dear  mother,"  it  read,  thus  handing 
it  to  the  Woman,  then  pulling  it  back  again  as  the  Woman 
kissed  Ronile  in  appreciation,  saying,  "I  want  one,  too,  or 
I  will  not  give  it." 

"All  right,  doctor,"  said  Ronile  getting  up.  She 
kissed  her  mother  on  the  cheek,  then  ran  over  and  kissed 
the  doctor. 

"There  you  are,"  she  said,  taking  the  basket  from  his 
hand  and  handing  it  to  her  mother.  There  was  a  basket 
for  each  of  the  ladies,  even  Mrs.  Wesson. 

"How  sweet  of  you,"  she  said,  with  an  angry  look  at 
the  doctor  as  he  handed  her  basket  to  her. 

Then  he  handed  some  other  things  to  her,  saying, 
"You  were  a  good  customer  these  days." 

Then  he  gave  her  a  picture  from  Annabelle.  It  was 
a  little  dark-haired  boy  in  his  nighty,  sitting  on  the  moon. 

"How  beautiful,"  said  the  Woman,  "it  always  reminds 
me  of  our  little  brother  that  joined  God 's  high  regions  when 
he  was  a  baby." 

' '  I  have  a  picture  like  that  at  home, ' '  said  Mrs.  Wesson, 
little  concerned. 

"Perhaps,"  said  the  Woman,  "you  would  like  a  differ- 
ent one;  if  so  go  and  select  one  at  the  store  and  charge 
it  to  me." 


194  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"I  will  do  no  such  thing,"  Mrs.  Wesson  answered 
haughtily. 

' '  Another  slap, ' '  said  the  gymnasium  teacher,  who  was 
now  boarding  with  Mrs.  Handel. 

Mrs.  Delien  and  the  teacher  never  referred  to  the 
experience  in  the  other  place,  but  became  good  friends 
as  time  passed. 

' '  I  know  a  partner  for  her, ' '  she  said,  raising  her  brows 
meaningly,  and  did  not  care  whether  she  heard  it  or  not. 

"I  will  get  you  one,"  said  the  doctor. 

"No,  thank  you,"  replied  Mrs.  Delien,  "I  did  not 
mean  to  possess  one  absolutely;  let's  drop  the  subject," 
she  continued  impatiently. 

There  was  a  box  from  Kenwood,  containing  a  beauti- 
ful boudoir  cap  for  Mrs.  Delien  from  Ruth  and  her  hus- 
band. 

"Oh,"  cried  Ronile,  "she  is  married,  my  darling 
Ruth." 

Then  came  six  fine  handkerchiefs  with  tatting  on  the 
edges  in  assorted  colors.  These  were  for  Ronile.  A 
medallion  centerpiece  from  Mrs.  Hilbert  and  a  tatted  bag 
for  each  from  Aunt  Emma. 

' '  How  good  they  were  to  think  of  us. ' ' 

More  boxes  went  to  Mrs.  Wesson,  one  of  which  con- 
tained a  magnificent  shawl.  Then  came  a  large  box  from 
Nebraska  for  Mrs.  Delien.  The  doctor  opened  it  up  and 
carefully  laid  the  things  on  the  table.  There  were  six 
pairs  of  the  finest  quality  of  silk  stockings  for  each,  also 
the  same  number  of  handkerchiefs,  some  Irish  crochet  col- 
lars, a  ring  for  Ronile  from  Cousin  Anna,  a  beautifully 
embroidered  corset  bag  and  a  muff  hanger.  In  a  tin  box 
were  aniscakes,  springeles  and  macaroons  and  a  box  of 
Maravilla  Garden  Tea. 

"Oh,"  said  the  Woman,  "this  is  the  best  tea  I  ever 
tasted;  the  dear  aunty  knows  that  I  like  it  and  sent  me 
some."  Then  came  a  small  bottle  of  Jamaica  ginger,  and 
some  essence  of  peppermint,  a  box  of  camomile  tea  and  a 
small  bottle  of  valerian. 

"That's  just  like  my  good  aunty,  thinking  of  every- 
thing," said  Mrs.  Delien. 


JUST  A  VIOLET  CHRISTMAS  MORNING      195 

"Have  you  finished  with  Mrs.  Delien's  groceries?" 
asked  Mrs.  Wesson. 

"Not  yet,  madam,"  he  replied  in  the  same  cutting 
tone,  and  kept  on  pulling  more  things  out  of  the  box.  On 
the  bottom  there  was  a  large  envelope  with  a  Christmas  card, 
In  the  card  was  a  fifty  dollar  bill. 

"Oh,"  said  the  Spanish  gentleman,  "I  am  very  de- 
lighted with  this  box  of  groceries.  I  hope,  my  dear  flower- 
artist,  that  you  will  always  receive  such  groceries  and 
that  I  will  have  the  pleasure  of  unpacking  them." 

He  then  handed  Ronile  a  small  package  on  which  was 
written,  "From  Doctor  and  Miss  Maclensia." 

"You  must  open  it  yourself,"  he  said  with  a  gesture 
so  characteristic  among  the  Latin  people.  Every  eye 
was  turned  toward  Ronile.  She  hastily  opened  the  box 
and  pulled  out  a  blue  and  gold  enameled  wrist  watch. 

"Oh,  this  is  just  what  I  admired  but  would  not  wish 
for  it,  as  they  are  very  expensive,"  she  said,  jumping  up 
and  kissing  the  doctor  and  his  sister  heartily.  Then  she 
slipped  the  watch  on  her  wrist  and  admired  it  constantly. 

The  doctor  said :  "You  see  we  waited  with  your  present 
until  the  last  to  find  out  what  a  perfect  little  lady  you 
are.  Now  I  am  very  happy,  you  never  asked  for  one 
thing." 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Handel,  rising  as  it  was  time  to 
look  after  her  household  duties.  "Dinner  will  be  served  at 
four,  so  please  be  ready  and  you,  too,  Mrs.  Delien,  are  my 
guest  and  thank  you  for  the  beautiful  gift  and  flower  you 
gave  me." 

"I  thank  you  very  kindly  for  the  invitation,  Mrs. 
Handel,  but  beg  to  be  excused." 

"I  don't  blame  her,"  said  someone  behind  her.  "I 
would  rather  not  eat  than  to  swallow  the  insults  Mrs. 
Wesson  gives  her." 

Miss  Maclensia  came  up  to  her,  saying,  "Doctor  and 
I  would  be  very  happy  if  you  would  join  us  at  lunch  down 
town." 

"You  are  very  kind  to  think  of  us  but  please  don't 
mind  if  we  decline,  as  we  have  an  engagement  for  dinner 
at  two  and  will  go  to  another  friend's  home  for  dinner  at 
seven  in  the  evening. ' ' 


196  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

They  went  to  their  room  to  get  dressed  to  go  out,  and 
soon  the  tooting  of  an  automobile  horn  was  heard 
and  they  hastily  left  the  house.  Ronile  wore  a  pretty  coat 
of  Copenhagen  blue,  trimmed  with  white  ermine  fur,  with 
cap  of  the  same  material  and  trimmed  in  fur  to  match 
the  coat.  The  Woman  wore  a  mauve  colored  tailored  suit 
trimmed  with  moleskin  and  a  turban  of  the  same  material. 

After  they  had  gone  with  a  gentleman  in  the  automo- 
bile, Mrs.  Wesson  said  to  the  gymnasium  teacher,  who  re- 
mained in  the  drawing-room  with  the  rest :  ' '  How  does  she 
dress  like  that?  You  can't  tell  me — no  wonder,"  she  kept 
on  sarcastically,  pressing  her  thin  lips  tightly  together 
for  a  moment,  "there  is  nothing  for  nothing." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  the  teacher. 

"Still  water  runs  deep,"  said  the  other  meaningly. 
Then  she  pointed  toward  Haight  Street,  where  they  went, 
saying:  "Auto  rides,  dinner  parties — and  such  a  gown — 
Look  at  the  expensive  dresses,  you  can't  tell  me  that 
a  working  woman  can  afford  them. ' '  The  teacher  remained 
silent  to  see  how  far  she  would  go,  which  encouraged  the 
other  to  proceed  with  her  slanderous  remarks,  "Why  is 
she  so  quiet?"  and  to  herself,  "And  look  how  she  vamped 
the  doctor;  perhaps  he  bought  her  that  outfit." 

This  was  too  much  for  the  athletic,  wholesome-minded 
girl.  She  crossed  her  arms  and  stood  defiantly  before  Mrs. 
Wesson,  saying :  "I  would  like  to  tear  that  viperous  tongue 
out  of  your  mouth!  Shame  on  you!  Why  that  coat  of 
Ronile 's  was  made  out  of  a  cape  which  was  out  of  style, 
and  both  Miss  Maclensia  and  I  helped  her  finish  it  in 
my  room  to  get  it  ready  for  a  Christmas  present  for  Ronile, 
and  if  you  want  to  know,  Mrs.  Lesser  brought  her  the 
fur  for  a  Christmas  present  knowing  she  would  get  the 
coat.  The  Lessers  got  the  fur  in  Alaska.  The  suit  worn 
by  Mrs.  Delien  is  the  same  suit  she  has  on  in  a  picture 
taken  four  years  ago,  and  no  one  but  herself  earned  the 
money  to  pay  for  it.  It  is  too  bad  that  you  would  not 
resort  to  some  honest  work  with  your  lazy  hands,  instead 
of  using  your  vile  tongue  in  trying  to  pull  down  others  who 
do  their  best  to  make  both  ends  meet." 

"My  allowance  keeps  me  independent,"  replied  Mrs. 
Wesson,  as  she  raised  her  eyebrows  and  shoulders  and 


JUST  A  VIOLET  CHRISTMAS  MORNING      197 

crossed  her  legs  as  if  she  wanted  to  kick  away  the  defiant 
girl  who  breathlessly  threw  at  her  all  that  the  others  had 
long  had  in  their  minds  but  who  ignored  her  instead. 

" Another  thing  I  want  you  to  understand,"  said  the 
girl  slowly  and  distinctly,  "the  gentleman  who  came  for 
her  is  the  grocer  she  is  dealing  with  and  when  his  child  was 
near  death,  this  Woman  went  and  stayed  all  night  praying 
for  its  recovery  and  it  lived,  after  the  doctors  had  given 
it  up.  He  is  only  paying  back  a  courtesy  well  worth  while." 

"Why  doesn't  his  wife  pay  back  the  courtesy?"  asked 
the  other  maliciously. 

Here  the  girl  turned  around  swiftly,  throwing  a  look  of 
disgust  at  the  slanderer  in  the  chair  as  she  said,  ' '  Enough 
now,  you  viper.  The  fire  of  hell  burns  through  your 
being,"  and  with  an  offhand  gesture  with  both  arms,  she 
continued,  "Don't  ever  speak  to  me  again,"  and  left  the 
gray-haired  lady  to  think  over  what  she  had  said. 

' '  Everyone  except  Mrs.  Wesson  is  going  out  to  dinner, ' ' 
said  Annabelle,  "and  if  it  were  not  for  her  we  would  not 
have  to  cook  dinner." 

"Well,  everybody  else  has  friends.  She  thinks  be- 
cause she  has  money  she  doesn't  have  to  cater  to  anyone. 
Now  the  doctor  has  given  her  up. ' ' 

"I  don't  blame  him,"  said  Mrs.  Handel,  who  heard  this 
remark  as  she  came  into  the  room.  "How  is  she  now?" 

' '  Crying,  as  usual,  if  things  go  wrong,  and  she  doesn  't 
get  her  way,  then  she  keeps  me  busy  putting  cologne  on  her 
kerchief,"  said  Annabelle. 

"It  breaks  her  heart  that  the  doctor  gave  her  such 
knocks,"  said  Mrs.  Handel. 

"Well,  why  did  she  knock  Mrs.  Delien?  The  poor 
woman  could  not  show  her  face  that  she  did  not  pass 
some  disagreeable  remark.  Ronile  and  her  mother  use 
the  back  staircase  all  the  time  so  she  will  not  see  them," 
replied  Annabelle. 

"No  use  doing  that,"  said  Daddy  Handel,  "I  want 
all  our  people  to  be  happy  and  not  afraid  of  anyone." 

"There  is  one  who  is  not  afraid  of  her,  and  that  is 
the  teacher.  My,  how  she  handed  it  to  her,"  said  Anna- 
belle,  with  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  in  her  eyes.  "I  would 


198  THE  WAY  OF  THE)  WORLD 

be  ashamed  to  show  my  face  if  anybody  spoke  to  me  like 
that" 

' '  Things  come  back  in  the  same  measure  they  are  given 
out;  the  world  is  a  great  big  echo,"  said  Mr.  Handel. 
"I  don't  blame  the  doctor  for  quitting  her;  his  sister  has 
had  no  use  for  her  for  some  time  and  is  glad  they  are 
rid  of  her,"  said  Mrs.  Handel.  "They  are  idealistic  people 
and  admire  the  Woman  for  trying  so  hard  to  keep  in  good 
environment  for  Ronile's  sake." 

"Yes,  that  child  would  dance  every  evening,  but  Mrs. 
Wesson  owns  that  drawing-room.  She  will  soon  be  left 
alone,  as  the  others  spend  the  evenings  in  each  other's  rooms, 
instead  of  being  altogether  and  enjoying  themselves.  They 
burn  double  light,  too." 

Weeks  passed  and  indeed  Mrs.  Wesson  was  left  alone. 
The  doctor  bought  a  car  and  was  out  most  of  the  time. 

Ronile  was  studying  a  new  role.  She  was  to  play  the 
part  of  Light  in  the  "Blue  Bird."  Her  mother  made 
the  costume — a  white  satin  slip  with  flowing  streamers  of 
maline,  tinted  in  very  soft  shades.  Rhinestones  were  sewed 
all  over  the  dainty  fabric  and  from  the  low  neck  ran  long 
threads  of  silver  strings  with  bugles  at  the  end  giving  the 
effect  of  rays  of  light.  They  cut  a  five-cornered  star  and 
covered  it  with  rhinestones,  then  fastened  it  on  a  silver 
band,  to  which  invisible  wires  were  attached.  The  top  of 
the  silver  bands  was  fastened  and  covered  with  silver 
threads  and  rhinestones,  giving  the  effect  of  a  beautiful 
halo. 

The  whole  household  was  excited  about  the  Bluebird 
girl,  and  all  wanted  to  snap  her  picture  under  the  big 
palm  tree.  Poor  Mrs.  Wesson  gave  up  hope  of  ever  win- 
ning the  doctor,  so  she  bought  passage  to  the  Hawaiian 
Islands.  What  a  relief  it  was  to  all,  especially  Annabelle, 
who  had  to  listen  to  all  the  slander  and  put  up  with  her 
ill-temper  because  she  paid  a  little  more  than  the  others. 

The  day  of  the  play  arrived,  to  which  the  whole 
household  had  secured  tickets,  even  Mr.  Lesser  who  would 
not  be  done  out  of  this  show  when  his  "little  star"  was 
shining. 

"Mother  dear,  you  must  help  me,  for  I  don't  know 


JUST  A  VIOLET  CHRISTMAS  MORNING      199 

whether  I  can  cry  as  my  part  calls  for  when  I  bid  good-by 
to  the  unborn  children  in  the  Palace  of  the  Future." 

"Just  feel  what  you  do,  dear,  for  it  will  be  sad  to 
leave  the  poor  little  children." 

All  during  the  show  Mrs.  Lesser  had  to  keep  a  close 
watch  on  her  husband  to  keep  him  from  bursting  out  with 
applause  when  Ronile  came  on  the  stage,  and  even  then  he 
kept  saying,  "Gee,  that's  fine!"  When  they  came  to  the 
"Palace  of  the  Future,"  and  Light  stood  in  the  center 
of  the  group  of  the  "unborn  children,"  one  could  see  the 
tears  glittering  on  her  cheeks  like  the  rhinestones  on  her 
garments. 

"You  see,  Molly,  she  is  a  born  actress,"  said  Mr. 
Lesser.  "My!  but  that  is  nice,"  he  continued. 

Thus  another  triumph  was  entered  in  Ronile 's  Book 
of  Life,  and  after  that  her  teachers  gave  her  all  the  lead- 
ing parts  in  the  school  plays. 

There  was  a  play  given  at  the  Scottish  Rite  Auditorium 
by  the  Actors'  Club,  and  the  children  were  chosen  from 
the  Normal  School.  Mr.  Reginald  Travers  conducted  the 
play,  which  was  Shakespeare's  "A  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream. ' '  He  picked  Ronile  for  a  good  part,  but  a  number 
of  calls  were  received  by  the  principal  of  the  school,  from 
protesting  parents,  telling  her  that  if  their  daughters  were 
not  given  better  parts  they  would  quit  the  school. 

The  principal  called  for  Ronile  and  said,  "I  wonder 
if  you  would  mind  if  we  gave  you  a  minor  part  this  time, 
for  we  have  so  much  trouble  with  the  mothers  of  other 
girls  as  the  play  in  given  down  town. ' ' 

"I  don't  mind  in  the  least,"  said  Ronile,  anxious  to 
help  her  principal. 

"But  will  your  mother  be  satisfied?" 

"She  will  not  mind,  for  mother  always  said  you  were 
my  authority  while  I  am  in  your  charge,  therefore,  you 
know  what  is  best  and  mother  knows  you  do  the  best  you 
can  at  all  times." 

' '  That  is  very  sweet  of  her, ' '  she  replied  much  relieved. 
"I  wish  all  mothers  would  feel  that  way.  "What  a  help 
it  would  be  to  us  teachers,  but  their  constant  interference 
makes  it  hard  for  us  at  times,"  she  said  as  she  dismissed 
the  pupil. 


200  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Then  she  went  to  the  telephone  and  called  up  Mrs. 
Delien,  saying:  "I  want  to  compliment  you  on  the  spirit 
with  which  you  have  brought  up  your  daughter.  It  is 
such  a  treat  to  meet  such  pupils,  and  I  am  so  charmed  that 
I  had  to  tell  you  what  a  wonderful  spirit  she  displayed. 
It  is  the  home  training  that  counts  and  reflects  on  the 
mothers.  We  cannot  teach  them  such  manners  in  a  few 
school  hours,  if  they  don 't  have  the  proper  training  at  home. 
I  want  to  talk  to  you  some  time  before  school  closes, ' '  said 
the  principal. 

"Do  come  and  see  me,"  said  Mrs.  Delien. 

"Ronile,"  said  one  of  the  girls  as  she  ran  after  her 
one  day,  "I  saw  the  principal  go  into  your  house;  did 
she  go  to  see  your  mother?" 

"We  live  in  a  boarding  house  and  there  are  teachers 
there,  too,"  came  the  short  answer. 

"But  that  way  you  become  a  teacher's  pet.  Gee,  I 
wish  I  were  you,"  said  the  other  with  a  jealous  ring  in 
her  voice. 

"You  need  not  do  that  to  become  a  teacher's  pet;  why 
are  you  not  behaving?"  said  Ronile,  wisely.  "If  all  the 
children  were  good  they  would  all  be  pets  and  the  teachers 
would  be  happier  and  more  patient. ' ' 

' '  I  often  try  to  be  like  you, ' '  said  the  other  admiringly, 
"I  like  the  way  you  walk.  I  heard  one  teacher  remark 
to  another  how  trim  you  were  and  that  you  had  just  as 
good  a  time  as  the  tomboys,  and  better." 


"Jesus,  loving  Saviour,  only  Thou  dost  know 
What  may  befall  her  as  she  onward  goes; 
So  1  humbly  pray  Thee,  take  her  by  the  hand, 
Lead  her  ever  upward  to  a  better  land." 


—Page  201. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  TEACHER'S  AUTOGEAPH 

Vacation  drew  near,  and  the  Woman's  work  grew 
slack.  Ronile  received  an  autograph  album  from  the 
teacher.  All  wrote  pretty  verses  in  it,  however,  reserving 
the  front  page  for  the  mother  to  write  on.  "Let  us  see  what 
she"  writes,"  they  said. 

After  lunch  Ronile  came  back  with  the  small  book 
in  her  hand,  every  little  while  stopping  and  turning  a  page 
to  read  the  little  notes  from  the  different  friends  at  the 
house.  She  walked  to  the  teachers  and  handed  them  the 
book  with  a  happy  smile.  They  opened  it  at  the  first  page. 
Ronile 's  picture,  a  snapshot  when  she  was  a  baby,  was  cut 
out  and  carefully  pasted  at  the  top.  The  date  was  then 
written,  "San  Francisco,  April  30,  1916,"  and  the  mother's 
writing  filled  the  page.  It  ran  thus :  "Jesus,  loving  Saviour, 
only  Thou  dost  know  what  may  befall  her  as  she  onward 
goes;  so  I  humbly  pray  Thee  take  her  by  the  hand,  lead 
her  ever  upward  to  a  better  land.  When  I  have  departed 
from  the  road  of  life,  then  beg  Your  Blessed  Mother  to 
guide  her  through  all  strife.  If  the  tide  of  pleasure  carries 
her  from  the  good,  Heavenly  Father  help  her — I  know  He 
would.  Your  loving  mother 's  prayer,  Amen. ' ' 

The  teachers  stood  wistfully  looking  at  one  another, 
then  the  principal  said:  "I  just  knew  she  would  write 
something  like  that.  She  is  just  the  sort  to  put  Ronile 
solely  into  God's  hands."  Thus  saying  she  turned  the 
page. 

On  the  next  page,  a  heart  was  drawn  in  the  center  and 
on  it  was  written,  "Dear  Lord,  please  grant  my  mother's 
prayer,  that  I  may  be  a  good  girl  always.  Your  faithful 
little  sheep,  Ronile." 

"How  sweet,"  said  the  principal,  bending  down  and 
kissing  Ronile;  the  others  following  her  example.  They 
kept  the  book  until  after  school,  adding  more  verses  to 
those  already  written  in  the  little  book  for  a  happy,  bright 
and  worthy  future. 


202  THE  WAY  OP  THE  WORLD 

"Now,  dear,  don't  forget  the  Normal  School,  if  you 
should  have  to  go  east  as  mother  anticipates.  Be  as  good 
as  you  have  been  here,"  was  the  final  cheer  from  those 
good  women  who  take  our  children  and  mold  their  minds 
to  fit  for  the  storms  that  arise  in  life's  journey. 

May  passed  and  June  came.  A  few  flowers  were 
ordered.  Letters  came  from  the  east  begging  them  to 
return.  One  day  a  large  envelope  arrived,  stamped  Ken- 
wood, from  Ruth.  "What  can  it  be?  She  never  writes 
such  large  letters. ' '  Opening  it  they  found  a  large  sheet  of 
paper  folded  many  times,  and  in  the  very  center  were  the 
tiny  words  written :  ' '  Come  back.  Will  tell  you  the  rest. ' ' 
A  longing  for  a  home  seemed  to  overcome  them.  It 
dawned  on  them  that  their  life  was  a  lonely  one  in  spite 
of  all  the  birds  and  flowers. 

"Look,  mother,  how  dry  the  hills  are,  and  think  how 
nice  and  green  everything  is  in  the  east  now."  So  the 
Woman  went  to  Mrs.  Smith  telling  her  of  an  intended  visit 
east. 

"Well,  we  will  see  what  our  silent  friends  have  to 
say,"  said  the  medium.  They  sat  in  a  darkened  room  and 
put  a  trumpet  on  the  table,  and  some  flowers. 

The  Woman  prayed,  then  they  sang:  "Sweetly  falls 
the  spirit  message  from  the  home  beyond  the  tide ;  ever 
do  we  bid  them  welcome,  dwellers  from  the  other  side. 
Welcome,  loved  ones,  we  are  waiting  to  receive  a  word  of 
cheer,  ever  do  they  give  us  comfort  'mid  our  toilsome 
journey  here."  While  they  sang  loud  voices  of  men  were 
heard  from  the  trumpet.  A  powerful  voice  called  the 
Woman  by  her  first  name,  and  spoke  of  her  past  life  which 
the  Woman  knew  no  one  but  herself  had  any  knowledge  of. 

Then  a  child's  voice  spoke  sweetly,  "Oh,  my  darling 
mother,  I  am  so  glad  you  came." 

"Should  we  go  east?"  asked  the  Woman. 

"Yes,  mama,  you  will  have  to  and  when  you  get 
there,  go  to  Kenwood  for  a  short  time  only.  You  will 
have  to  settle  in  New  York  and  do  the  spirit  work  as  it  is 
the  Father 'swill." 

"But,  my  sweet  angel,"  said  the  mother,  "it  is  against 
the  law  to  practice  this  work;  it  may  lead  me  to  jail." 


THE  TEACHER'S  AUTOGRAPH      203 

"What  is  earthly  confinement  of  steel  bars  to  eternal 
darkness,  my  good  mother  ?  Light  was  given  you  in  sorrow, 
the  Father's  gift,  and  you  must  let  it  shine  to  those  that 
are  blind  for  eternal  things.  You  don't  want  to  be  a  dark 
lighthouse  on  the  sea  of  life,  where  so  many  get  stranded 
and  are  watching  for  the  light. ' ' 

"Cannot  their  spirit  loved  ones  guide  them  without 
a  transmitter?"  asked  the  mother. 

"No,"  came  the  answer,  "you  must  help  them  for 
you  can  see  better;  you  have  the  eye  of  foresight  that  can 
see  the  vapor  and  misty  forms  because  you  believe  in  them 
and  bid  them  welcome.  It  is  a  dangerous  post,  my  dear 
mother,"  kept  on  Valentine.  "All  preceding  prophets 
were  confined  in  prison,  but  that  developed  their  inner 
sight  more." 

"Would  I  have  to  go  to  prison?"  asked  the  mother 
in  a  worried  tone. 

"Yes,"  came  the  answer,  "but  not  for  long;  just  a 
little  while  for  new  sprouts  to  shoot.  There  is  glory  in 
that  sort  of  confinement  and  remember,  dear  mother,  it 
is  your  vocation;  the  people  need  you;  the  souls  need 
you." 

"When  shall  I  begin?" 

"You  started  long  ago,  only  now  you  must  devote  all 
your  time  to  serving  at  the  switchboard  of  transmission, 
for  remember  if  you  take  off  the  receiver  and  the  other 
party  doesn't  answer  you  cannot  get  connected — man  and 
spirit.  A  great  comfort  awaits  thousands  when  you  start 
to  work  steadily. ' ' 

"Where  shall  I  work?" 

"We  will  lead  you  on;  don't  worry,  for  we  are  al- 
ways guiding  you,"  the  sweet  voice  ceased  with  a  kiss. 
Another  voice  came  and  sang  in  Italian:  "Oh,  Sole  Mio," 
to  Ronile.  He  called  her  his  shining  star  and  that  he 
would  guide  her  in  Art. 

"I  am  happy  to  know  you,"  said  Ronile.  "Come 
often." 

"When  you  need  me,"  came  the  final  answer. 

' '  That  settles  it, ' '  said  the  Woman.  ' '  We  must  leave 
you  good  people." 

"Oh,  but  you  are  going  to  come  back,  I  feel  it,  you 


204  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

are  only  ordered  to  work  at  another  station,  so  go  and 
serve  God,  who  bids  you,"  said  Mrs.  Smith. 

They  got  ready  to  leave,  much  to  the  sorrow  of  their 
friends.  Dear  Daddy  and  Mama  Handel  were  inconsol- 
able, wishing  they  could  go. 

"Make  lots  of  money,"  said  Daddy  Lesser,  "and 
come  back  for  I  want  you  to  j.oin  me  on  my  next  trip 
to  Alaska." 

"Our  family  is  growing  now;  we  have  Lester,  and  I 
don't  want  to  leave  Frances,  so  you  will  have  to  go  when 
he  starts,"  said  Mama  Lesser. 

There  was  a  large  crowd  at  the  ferry  as  they  left. 

"Don't  forget  to  come  back,  will  you?"  called  Pop 
Lesser,  as  the  train  pulled  out. 

They  went  to  visit  the  folks  in  Nebraska  for  they 
all  wanted  to  see  that  gold  medal.  Almost  everybody  in 
town  had  to  see  it  in  the  show  case  at  the  drug  store. 
Large  auto  trips  were  made  through  the  plains,  as  this 
time  Ronile  was  not  laid  up  with  the  smallpox.  After 
five  days  they  proceeded  to  Chicago.  This  time  no  flowers 
were  made,  as  the  Woman  thought  of  the  message  and 
wanted  to  serve.  After  a  week  with  their  good  friends 
they  went  on  to  Kenwood,  New  Jersey. 

"My,  you  did  come  at  last,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert;  "I 
am  so  glad  for  things  did  not  look  the  same,  and  we  were 
lost  without  you." 

"No  wonder  we  grew  homesick  for  you.  We  just 
had  to  come,"  said  the  happy  Woman. 

After  a  few  days  they  had  a  sitting,  and  the  Woman 
was  told  to  go  to  New  York. 

"There  is  a  place  on  Central  Park  west,  near  the 
Red  Cross  Hospital,  that  is  your  station,"  was  the  mes- 
sage. They  went  over  the  next  day  and  found  a  suitable 
apartment,  two  rooms  facing  the  Park.  She  procured  her 
furniture  and  waited  to  see  what  would  present  itself, 
making  flowers  in  the  meantime  to  keep  up  all  expenses. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

POOE  MADELINE 

One  day  while  taking  their  daily  stroll  in  the  park, 
they  saw  a  girl  sitting  on  a  partly  hidden  bench,  crying 
bitterly.  The  Woman  told  Ronile  to  wait  as  she  walked 
over  and  listened  to  the  weeping  girl. 

''Oh,  Mother  Mary,"  she  sobbed,  "can't  you  help 
me  ?  I  have  not  a  friend  in  the  world. ' '  She  pulled  out 
a  rosary  and  looked  at  it  with  tear-dimmed  eyes,  then 
kissed  the  little  cross  and  held  the  beads  tightly  in  her 
hand.  She  looked  toward  the  lake,  her  lips  set  firmly, 
the  muscles  in  her  cheeks  twitching  at  times.  She  looked 
at  the  beads,  then  at  the  water. 

"Oh,  she  contemplates  suicide,"  thought  the  Woman, 
so  she  walked  over  to  the  girl,  who  jumped  up  and 
started  to  leave  the  bench,  but  the  gentle  touch  of  the 
Woman  held  her  back.  A  look  of  love  and  pity  sought 
her  eyes.  "You  poor  little  girl,"  said  the  Woman,  "you 
are  in  trouble." 

"Yes,"  said  the  girl,  sobbing  anew,  and  looking  to- 
ward the  lake. 

"I  know  what  you  wanted  to  do,  but  God  doesn't 
want  you  to  throw  your  life  away,  at  least  not  while  you 
stick  to  this,"  she  said  pointing  to  the  beads.  "Keep  up 
your  faith,  and  tell  me  why  you  are  so  sad." 

"Oh,  I  can't  tell  you,"  answered  the  girl  with  an- 
other outburst  of  sobs. 

"Come  with  me,  dear,"  said  the  Woman. 

"If  you  knew,  you  would  not  want  me,"  she  sobbed. 

"If  I  knew?"  said  the  Woman  consolingly,  "I  do 
know  and  you  are  going  with  me.  After  you  feel  like 
telling  me  all,  for  whatever  it  is  you  are  in  trouble,  I  am 
going  to  help  you.  We  are  not  looking  for  your  weak- 
ness ;  we  are  looking  for  a  way  to  help  you.  Now,  cheer 
up,  dear;  all  is  well  now;  just  forget  to-day." 

They  led  her  out  of  the  park,  Konile  and  her  mother 
walking  on  either  side,  Ronile  taking  the  girl's  hand  as 
if  to  say,  "I  will  help  you,  don't  worry."  Her  name  was 
Madeline,  she  said,  when  they  got  to  the  Woman's  home. 


206  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

She  had  been  working  at  general  housework,  and  her 
mistress  had  a  son  who  had  paid  her  lots  of  attention, 
and  said  he  would  marry  her. 

"Now  I  am  ruined,"  she  said,  "and  they  sent  him 
away  and  threw  me  out  without  even  paying  me  the 
money  that  was  coming  to  me.  What  shall  I  do  now?" 

"There  is  a  way  out  of  all  predicaments;  where  does 
this  woman  live,  Madeline  1 ' '  said  the  Woman  tenderly. 

"Not  far  from  here." 

"I  will  go  to  her  and  see  that  you  get  your  belong- 
ings and  the  money  she  owes  you." 

"But  you  can't  carry  the  heavy  suit  case,"  said 
Madeline. 

' '  Well,  if  you  want  to  come  along,  you  can  help  carry 
it."  They  went.  It  was  a  large  elevator  apartment 
house.  The  Woman  was  received  by  the  Madam  herself 
who,  seeing  Madeline  behind  the  Woman,  flared  up  like 
a  fighting  rooster. 

' '  What  you  want,  you  wicked  goia  ? ' ' 

"I  want  to  talk  to  you  first,"  said  the  Woman,  as 
she  walked  in,  pushing  Madeline  with  her,  and  then  clos- 
ing the  door. 

' '  This  is  a  private  matter  just  among  us  three.  What 
we  want  is  the  money  she  earned  and  her  clothes. ' '  The 
Madam  was  a  get-rich-quick  Jewish  lady  who  spoke  with 
a  broad  Russian  dialect. 

"Nodding  of  de  kind;  I  vill  not  gif  her  money,  when 
she  got  de  best  of  mine  son! " 

"Your  son!"  said  the  Woman  sharply.  "Who  is 
carrying  the  wages  of  sin?  This  poor,  innocent  girl  who 
came  into  your  household  to  give  you  comfort,  not  know- 
ing the  difference  of  sex.  No  love  was  shown  her  and 
your  son  took  advantage  of  her,  pretending  love  and  her 
young  heart  went  out  to  him.  Why,  no  wonder  there 
was  no  love  shown  her  by  you,  and  she  believed  in  him. 
Why,  you  both  belong  in  the  State  Prison." 

Here  the  Madam  went  back  a  step,  then  pointing 
at  Madeline,  her  thick  finger  shaking  treacherously, 
"So-oo,  you  had  to  go  to  de  police.  Dad's  de  tanks  you 
get  for  takin'  a  greenhorn  in  your  house  and  gif  dem  too 
much  good  things  to  eat.  Oi,  vy  vus  I  good  to  you?" 
thus  she  walked  off,  getting  the  money  and  then  came 


POOR  MADELINE  207 

back,  handing  it  to  the  "Woman,  giving  poor  Madeline  a 
fierce  look  as  she  passed  her.  Then  she  motioned  for 
her  to  get  her  things,  but  went  with  her,  saying,  "I  don'd 
trust  you,  vunce  a  thief  always  a  thief." 

"What  did  she  steal?"  asked  the  Woman,  trying 
hard  to  keep  composed. 

' '  Mine  son ! ' '  she  shrieked. 

"Too  bad  about  your  son,"  said  the  Woman,  a  con- 
temptuous curl  around  her  lips.  "Is  not  he  the  thief, 
to  take  from  a  mere  child  her  youth,  faith  in  mankind, 
her  virtue,  her  fortune?  Who  wants  a  broken  flower 
that  is  picked  and  thrown  by  the  wayside?  I  tell  you  if 
I  were  the  judge,  he  would  never  pick  another  flower. 
Now,  Madam,  you  will  kindly  give  me  the  address  of 
your  son,  for  he,  too,  has  a  claim  on  a  growing  plant  and 
must  help  care  for  it." 

"Mine  son  is  not  in  America ;  he  is  a  soldier  by  now." 

"Uncle  Sam  can  be  proud  of  you,  Madam,  and  of 
your  son.  Now  I  want  a  check  to  cover  the  expenses  of 
the  lying-in  hospital." 

"Vat!"  she  cried,  "I  pay  for  her  bleasure?" 

"No,  you  will  pay  for  her  sorrow;  otherwise  the 
court  will  present  a  bill  which  might  surprise  you." 

"Oi,  tomorrow  is  Shabes;  I  can  do  nodding;  vat 
shall  I  do  I  "  she  whimpered. 

"You  give  her  a  check  for  a  thousand  dollars.  You 
know  it  takes  time  for  a  mother  to  recuperate.  The  bills 
will  be  carefully  presented  to  you." 

"I  von't  do  nodding;  I  vill  ask  mine  son-in-law  to 
help  me ;  he  is  a  lawyer. ' ' 

"Then  he  can  tell  you  that  the  law  will  compel  you 
to  pay  all  expenses  and  three  dollars  a  week  until  the 
child  is  of  age."  The  Madam  stood  still,  her  lips  moving 
as  if  she  was  trying  to  figure  out  what  the  amount  would 
be. 

"Ven  is  the  child  of  age?"  she  asked. 

' '  At  eighteen  years, ' '  was  the  reply.  ' '  Did  you  figure 
rightly,  that  you  are  coming  off  easy?"  asked  the 
Woman. 

"Can't  you  vait  until  mine  husband  comes  home?" 

"No,  did  your  son  wait  until  she  was  of  age?" 


208  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Those  children;  what  a  trouble  for  a  mother!  A 
thousand  dollars,  Och!  "  She  went  for  a  check  book  and 
thought  a  minute,  then  she  threw  up  her  hands,  saying, 
"I  can't  write,  so  dere." 

"You  can  read?"  said  the  Woman. 

"All  right,"  she  said,  shaking  her  head,  "sure." 

"Well,  then,  I  will  make  out  the  check,  and  you  will 
sign  it,"  said  the  Woman. 

The  Madam  looked  at  Madeline  again  and  her  brow 
wrinkled  as  she  said,  "Vy  did  you  come  to  mine  house; 
such  trouble,  vot  I  never  haf  before !  Oi,  you  luder,  you 
goia,"  here  she  looked  at  the  Woman  for  help.  "Oh, 
Missus,  please,  is  dere  no  way  to  fix  without  to  pay  the 
thousand  dollars?" 

The  Woman  shook  her  head  and  said,  "No." 

"All  right!  Oi,  if  papa  comes  home;  a  thousand  dol- 
lars for  a  goia  like  her." 

' '  She  only  has  the  pain  out  of  it, ' '  said  the  Woman ; 
"you  ought  to  know  that  as  a  mother,  and  the  thousand 
dollars  is  for  your  grandchild,  you  know." 

"Oi,"  here  she  swallowed  hard,  then  broadened  out 
her  hand  and  reached  to  her  throat,  despairingly.  "Me, 
de  grandmother  of  a  draifa,  a  Gentile?  Never!  I  hope 
it  dies.  God  de  gerechte,  vy  you  hurt  me  so?" 

"Your  son  did  not  consider  a  Gentile,"  said  the 
Woman  unmoved. 

An  idea  seemed  to  strike  the  Madam  as  she  looked 
at  Madeline,  and  she  said:  "But  suppose  she  die!  Then 
de  thousand  dollars ! ' ' 

"Don't  worry,"  came  the  answer  assuringly,  "if  that 
was  the  case,  the  city  would  not  be  inclined  to  pay  for 
the  consequences  of  your  son's  pleasures." 

The  Woman  asked  for  a  piece  of  paper,  then  took  a 
fountain  pen  out  of  her  purse,  while  Madeline  brought 
her  her  writing  box  to  give  her  a  sheet  of  paper  for  the 
required  note.  The  Woman  wrote  thus:  "This  is  to  cer- 
tify that  my  son,  Aaron  Plotsky,  is  the  father  of  Magda- 
lena  Wariasch's  child,  and  I  pledge  myself  to  pay  one 
thousand  dollars  for  confinement  expenses  and  further 
care  for  said  child." 


POOR  MADELINE  209 

"Put  your  name  here,"  said  the  Woman. 

Mrs.  Plotsky  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  a  worried 
look  came  over  her  face.  "But  suppose  you  cheat  me?" 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Woman,  "you  put  on  a  hat, 
and  we  will  go  to  a  Notary  Public ;  he  can  read  it  for  you. 
After  a  while  Mrs.  Plotsky  returned  to  the  room,  a  costly 
satin  coat  thrown  over  her  house-dress  and  they  went 
to  an  undertaker's  place  who  was  also  a  notary.  The 
Woman  handed  him  the  paper  to  be  written  on  a  legal 
sheet  and  stamped.  While  this  was  being  done,  the 
Madam  looked  at  a  casket,  then  at  Madeline,  her  hand 
crossed  in  what  seemed  a  prayer.  After  writing  the 
statement  on  a  typewriter,  the  gentleman  read  it  aloud. 

The  Woman  watched  the  unwilling  grandmother- 
to-be  and  said,  "Are  you  ready  to  sign?" 

"Och,  mine  Gott,  vy  must  I  be  in  such  trouble?  All 
right,"  she  said,  shrugging  her  shoulders  and  taking  the 
pen,  wrote  very  awkwardly,  turning  the  pen  at  every  let- 
ter, but  finally  succeeding  in  writing  her  name,  "Rachel 
Plotsky."  The  gentleman  wrote  the  word  "Mother" 
underneath,  then  signed  his  name  and  handed  it  to  Mrs. 
Delien,  who  also  signed  it.  He  put  the  paper  in  an 
envelope  and  handed  it  to  Madeline,  who  stood  shivering. 

"Take  good  care  of  that,"  he  said. 

"Now,"  said  the  Woman  to  Rachel  Plotsky,  "let  this 
gentleman  make  out  the  check."  Realizing  that  there 
was  no  way  of  getting  out  of  it,  she  pulled  the  check  book 
out  of  her  spacious  bag  and  handed  it  to  the  gentleman, 
who  made  out  the  check  for  one  thousand  dollars  to 
Magdalena  Wariasch,  and  again  asked  the  distressed 
Jewish  woman  to  sign  her  name. 

As  she  went  out  she  gave  the  three  a  sweeping  glance 
which  rested  on  Madeline,  and  she  stuck  her  finger  close 
to  the  poor  girl's  nose,  saying,  threateningly:  "Nefer  in 
your  life  come  unter  mine  eyes,  vat  you  make  me  trouble, 
I  never  haf  in  all  mine  life.  A  thousand  dollars  for  a 
goia  like  her." 

She  went  home  talking  to  herself,  then  called  her 
son-in-law  on  the  telephone,  telling  him  in  an  excited 


210  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WOKLD 

voice  that  a  police  woman  came  and  made  her  give  up  a 
thousand  dollars. 

"For  everything?"  asked  the  son-in-law,  not  much 
alarmed. 

"Vot  you  call  eferything?  That  fresh  goia  got  a 
fortune !  Just  tink,  Aby,  a  thousand  dollars ! ' ' 

"You  got  off  cheap,"  came  the  laconic  answer.  "You 
should  be  glad  it  did  not  get  into  the  papers.  Those 
things  are  no  credit  to  a  family  that  employs  hundreds 
of  girls  in  a  shop,  so  the  least  you  say  about  it  the  better 
you  are  off." 

"All  right,  Aby,  good-by,"  and  a  deep  sigh  rang 
through  the  phone.  Then  she  went  and  sat  down,  her 
head  resting  on  her  hands. 

The  "Woman  took  Madeline  to  the  bank,  depositing 
the  check  in  trust  for  her  mother,  Rosa  Wariasch,  in 
Moravia. 

"Ah,  my  mother,  if  she  knew,"  cried  Madeline. 

"Your  mother  is  a  woman,  and  you  are  her  child;  she 
will  gladly  forgive  you  when  you  get  there.  This  money 
will  give  you  a  good  start." 

"If  it  were  not  war-time,  I  would  go  home  now," 
she  sighed.  "But  Austria!  I  have  not  received  a  letter 
from  home  in  two  years.  My  brothers  are  in  the  army; 
they  may  be  killed,"  she  said  with  a  worried,  distant  look. 

"No,  my  dear,  I  am  sure  they  live,  for  if  they  were 
in  spirit  I  would  have  seen  them  around  you." 

Madeline  stayed  with  the  Woman  for  a  few  days, 
then  went  to  the  hospital,  Mrs.  Delien  visiting  her  daily. 
All  went  well.  A  curly-haired,  black-eyed  baby  boy  lay 
at  her  side  one  day  as  the  Woman  entered.  This  day 
she  brought  white  carnations  for  her. 

"You  were  right,"  said  Madeline,  all  smiles,  her 
sorrow  forgotten,  "it  is  a  boy." 

"There  you  are,"  said  her  friend,  taking  the  tiny 
hand  in  hers  as  she  blessed  the  baby.  "Your  sorrow  has 
turned  to  joy,  and  life  looks  doubly  charming  to  you,  as 
you  have  here  a  little  sprout  to  care  for.  May  God  bless 
and  give  him  keen  sight  and  a  just  course  to  follow!" 


POOR  MADELINE  211 

"But  the  world  will  condemn  him,"  said  Madeline, 
looking  tenderly  at  her  baby. 

"No,  my  dear,  for  some  of  our  greatest  men  were 
illegitimate.  A  child  of  this  kind  generally  has  a  better 
nature,  as  it  becomes  more  intuitive,  because  the  mother 
shunned  by  others,  envelops  herself  solely  in  faith,  and 
thus  the  child  has  the  advantage  of  spiritual  foresight." 
So  saying  she  looked  at  his  head,  and  studied  it  care- 
fully. "He  has  a  fine  head  and  will  stand  his  ground. 
The  Jewish  blood  in  him  is  to  his  advantage ;  it  gives  him 
energy  to  put  his  shoulders  to  the  commercial  wheel  and 
give  his  mother  a  splendid,  comfortable  future." 

"You  think  so?"  asked  Madeline,  who  with  her  six- 
teen years  looked  more  like  a  baby  herself  than  one  that 
must  carry  the  burden  of  two.  Madeline  clasped  her 
hands  and  looked  up  to  the  ceiling,  as  if  in  prayer,  while 
the  baby  held  the  Woman's  finger  tightly  clasped  in  his 
tiny  hand  as  if  to  hold  on  to  her.  Another  prayer  went 
up  to  the  Father  as  a  thrill  ran  through  the  Woman's 
heart  when  she  felt  the  pressure  of  such  a  tiny  holder. 
Thus  they  were  silent  for  some  time  each  sending  mes- 
sages to  the  Father  through  another  current. 

"Give  them  their  daily  bread  and  forgive  her  her 
trespasses  as  she  forgives  those  who  trespass  against 
them,  and  lead  her  out  of  temptation  and  deliver  her 
from  evil,  for  Thou  art  the  Father  who  sees  all  and  helps 
the  weak  with  spiritual  strength." 

Madeline 's  eyes  that  were  riveted  so  long  on  one  spot 
slowly  turned  to  her  friend  and  she  said,  "Cod  surely 
sent  you  to  me,  for  if  you  had  not  come  that  day  in  the 
park  I  would  be  lost  now  and  I  am  so  happy  for  I  have 
some  one  to  love." 

"Yes,  your  dear  baby  takes  a  big  part  in  your  life, 
and  you  have  something  to  work  for.  He  is  healthy  and 
some  day  will  have  a  father.  I  saw  it  as  if  in  a  vision. 
Before  he  can  walk  two  strong  arms  will  rock  him  to 
sleep."  A  blush  swept  over  the  face  of  Madeline.  Then 
a  hunted,  worried  look  came  into  her  eyes. 

"The  wages  of  sin,"  thought  the  Woman.  "It  leaves 
its  footprints  and  drags  the  victim  over  that  road  of  tor- 


212  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

ture  daily,  until  faith  has  the  upper  hand  and  leads  them 
through  to  a  strange  land  of  f  orgetf  ulness. " 

' '  Do  you  think  a  man  would  love  my  baby  and  me  ? ' ' 
asked  the  little  mother. 

"Why  not?"  asked  her  friend.  Here  she  took  a 
white  carnation  and  handed  it  to  the  patient.  "You  are 
like  this,  still  sweet  and  good.  You  are  suffering  the  con- 
sequence of  love  too  freely  given  in  a  promise  to  lead 
you  onto  the  road  of  matrimony  which  resulted  in  your 
being  cast  by  the  roadside  and  left  there.  Your  sin  has 
turned  to  love  through  faith.  His  sins  hound  him  and 
drive  him  on  a  raft  of  danger  to  a  shore  black  from 
destruction  and  puts  his  head  into  a  harness  of  compul- 
sion. A  victim  driven  by  an  iron  hand  with  a  skull  for 
its  banner.  So  don't  worry;  you  are  the  winner  of  the 
two.  Your  faith  helped  you,  therefore  never  forget  the 
gentle  spirit  called  faith." 

"I  would  not  want  him  as  a  husband,"  said  the  girl- 
mother,  as  she  lifted  her  eyes  toward  the  ceiling;  "his 
mother  will  always  throw  that  up  to  him,  even  if  he 
should  live  and  come  back  from  the  army." 

"Let  us  not  talk  about  him  now;  he  is  serving  his 
country,  not  as  a  hero,  however,  but  as  a  fugitive  from 
this,"  and  she  pointed  to  the  dear  little  form  that 
snuggled  in  his  mother's  arms  and  smacked  his  lips  in  a 
hungry  fashion. 

"I  must  leave  you  now,"  said  the  Woman  rising  and 
kissing  the  mother  and  telling  her  not  to  worry,  that  all 
would  adjust  itself  to  good  advantage.  She  smiled  at  the 
nurse  who  was  coming  in  to  attend  the  patient  and  left. 

The  nurse  smelled  the  flowers,  then  said:  "Is  the 
lady  a  relative?  She  is  the  only  one  who  comes  to  see 
you." 

"No,  it  just  seemed  as  if  God  sent  her  to  me  in  my 
trouble,"  said  the  girl  and  she  told  the  nurse  of  all  the 
Woman  had  done  for  her. 

"Is  she  a  medium?"  the  nurse  asked  eagerly. 

"I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  said  Madeline. 

"Does  she  tell  you  about  spirits?" 

"Yes,  she  told  me  all  about  my  sisters  and  brothers 


POOR  MADELINE  213 

who  died ;  their  names  and  my  home ;  she  told  me  how  it 
looks  and  who  was  there,"  said  Madeline,  "and  by  the 
way  she  told  me,  I  know  she  could  see  it,  and  I  know  my 
mother  and  father  live  and  my  two  brothers  who  are  in 
the  war." 

"Then  she  is  a  medium,"  said  the  nurse,  convinced. 
"I  am  very  much  interested  to  know  if  my  friend  is  safe 
in  the  Canadian  Army  in  France ;  do  you  think  she  would 
give  me  a  reading?" 

"I  don't  know,"  said  the  mother,  holding  the  baby 
to  her  breast  while  the  nurse  assisted  her.  "Why  don't 
you  ask  her  ?  Or  I  will  if  you  want  me  to. ' ' 

"Oh,  I  can  hardly  wait!"  said  the  nurse.  "How  I 
have  prayed !  If  he  only  comes  back,  for  I  have  no  parents 
and  we  wanted  to  get  married  as  soon  as  he  started  his 
practice. ' ' 

"Is  he  a  doctor?" 

"Indeed,  he  is,"  said  the  pretty  nurse,  proudly. 

"Has  your  friend  a  telephone?" 

"Sure." 

"Then  I  will  call  her  up." 

"Yes,  that  is  best  for  she  is  nice  and  will  help  you," 
said  Madeline. 

The  baby  was  asleep  by  this  time,  so  the  nurse  put 
him  in  his  basket-bed,  gave  Madeline  a  glass  of  milk  and 
told  her  to  go  to  sleep.  Then  she  went  to  the  phone  and 
called  up  the  "Woman. 

"I  am  Madeline's  nurse,"  she  explained,  and  the 
"Woman  thinking  something  had  happened  to  Madeline, 
asked,  "Yes,  but  she  is  well?" 

"Oh,  yes,  but  I  wanted  to  know  if  you  could  see  me 
this  evening.  Madeline  tells  me  you  helped  her  so  won- 
derfully. I  believe  greatly  in  spirit  power."  Here  she 
broke  off,  saying,  "You  know." 

"All  right,  I  will  see  you,"  answered  the  "Woman. 

"May  I  bring  another  nurse?" 

"Yes,  you  might  as  well,"  came  the  answer.  "So 
this  is  the  way  my  station  opens  up,  through  Madeline, 
and  faith,  hope  and  charity,"  thought  the  Woman. 

The  next  morning  when  the  nurse  came  on  duty  she 


214  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

was  all  smiles  and  told  Madeline  how  wonderfully  the 
medium  brought  her  dear  mother  and  father  and  de- 
scribed everything  concerning  herself  so  minutely. 

"I  am  so  happy,  you  dear  little  thing,  that  you  came 
here.  I  know  now  where  to  talk  with  my  good  mother 
and  am  so  happy." 

"No  more  than  I  am,"  said  Madeline,  forgetting  all 
her  troubles. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  the  nurse,  "there  are  four 
other  nurses  going  up  this  evening;  some  wanted  to  go 
this  afternoon  but  she  wants  to  come  and  see  you.  Now 
you  see, ' '  said  the  nurse,  patting  her  patient  affection- 
ately, "she  likes  you  so  much  she  would  not  make  the 
appointment.  We  asked  her  the  charges,"  continued  the 
nurse,  "and  she  said  there  were  no  charges,  but  we 
always  pay  one  dollar  for  a  reading  so  we  just  laid  that 
amount  on  the  table." 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad  you  did,  for  she  has  not  much 
money,  and  I  know  she  has  a  daughter  to  support." 

"Well,  she  is  all  to  the  good,"  said  the  nurse,  sat- 
isfied. 

After  two  weeks  Madeline  came  back,  but  the 
Woman  was  busy;  people  even  came  in  the  mornings. 
There  were  nurses  and  their  friends,  and  relatives;  one 
told  the  other  and  the  Woman's  popularity  spread  rap- 
idly. 

One  morning  a  lady  came  from  Elmhurst.  She  was 
an  aunt  of  one  of  the  nurses,  and  said  her  niece  had  told 
her  all  about  her. 

"But  we  are  busy  with  the  baby,"  said  the  Woman. 

Going  over  to  the  little  fellow  the  lady  remarked, 
"What  a  fine  child  he  is!"  and  looking  at  the  pale  little 
mother,  said  she  ought  to  be  in  the  country. 

"That's  the  place  for  her,"  said  the  Woman,  "but 
we  don't  know  where  to  find  the  place  that  God  has 
reserved  for  this  splendid  specimen  of  mankind  to  grow. ' ' 

"I  would  not  mind  having  them  in  my  home,"  said 
the  lady;  "we  have  our  own  home,  my  husband  is  gone 
all  day  and  it  would  be  grand  just  to  have  them  around. 


POOR  MADELINE  215 

We  have  chickens  and  our  neighbors  are  farmers,  and  we 
get  our  milk  cow-warm;  that  would  help  her." 

The  Woman  noticed  that  the  lady  spoke  with  a  for- 
eign accent  and  asked  her  if  she  were  an  Austrian, 
anxious  to  link  Madeline  to  the  stranger,  as  she  felt  that 
in  time  of  need  people  speaking  the  same  tongue  connect 
better. 

"Yes,"  said  the  lady,  proudly,  "straight  from 
Vienna. ' ' 

"There  is  a  country-woman  of  yours,"  said  the 
Woman,  pointing  to  Madeline,  whose  eyes  sparkled  as 
the  lady  came  over  and  kissed  the  pale  cheeks  of  the  lit- 
tle child-mother.  She  then  took  Madeline 's  hands  in  hers 
and  said  as  only  a  mother  could  say  to  a  lost  child,  "Will 
you  come  and  live  with  me?" 

The  girl  looked  at  her  friend,  then  at  the  stranger, 
who  seemed  so  closely  related  and  said,  "Yes,  I  love  you 
and  the  country  for  I  was  born  on  a  farm  and  like  it 
better  than  the  city." 

"This  is  a  Godsend  for  you,  Madeline,"  said  the 
Woman,  "and  you  will  be  happy  with  this  lady." 

"My  mother  came  from  Vienna,  too,"  said  Madeline, 
"but  she  met  my  father  when  he  was  a  soldier  and  went 
with  him  on  his  farm  in  Moravia." 

"What  is  his  name?"  asked  the  stranger  eagerly. 

"Stephan  Wariasch,"  said  Madeline  willingly. 

"Why,  that  is  my  stepbrother;  my  father  married 
twice;  my  stepmother  had  this  boy  Stephan  and  his 
grandmother  left  him  the  farm  in  Moravia." 

' '  Then  you  are  Madeline 's  step-aunt — really  no  blood 
relation  but  a  wonderful  coincidence.  How  finely  the 
silent  weavers  spin  the  thread  that  bind  together  the 
long  lost  and  unhappy  wanderers.  I  am  so  glad,  dear 
Madeline,  that  you  have  found  the  only  relative  you  have 
in  this  country." 

"My  father  always  asked  in  his  letters  if  I  had 
found  any  trace  of  my  Aunt  Mitzi,"  said  the  girl.  "He 
spoke  so  much  of  you. ' ' 

"Yes,  we  loved  each  other  very  much  and  he  was  a 
good  brother,  and  I  never  missed  my  own  dear  mother 


216  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

when  my  stepmother  and  Stephan  came  to  our  home. 
Now,  you  will  have  to  come  and  live  with  us,"  she  said 
smiling  at  Madeline.  "I  am  getting  old  and  long  to  have 
a  little  bundle  like  that  to  rock  and  care  for." 

"Have  you  no  children?"  asked  Madeline. 

"A  son;  but  he  is  always  away;  he  drives  a  machine 
for  a  rich  gentleman.  They  are  now  in  Saratoga.  I  really 
have  nothing  from  him  as  he  is  seldom  home.  My  daugh- 
ter died  at  the  age  of  ten  with  scarlet  fever.  But  now, 
thank  God,  I  will  not  be  alone  in  the  future,  for  I  have 
another  daughter,"  she  said  putting  out  her  arms  to 
receive  Madeline. 

They  packed  Madeline's  belongings  and  phoned  for 
a  taxi.  "We  are  not  so  poor  and  besides  the  baby  might 
get  too  much  wind,  and  the  subway  air  would  not  be  good 
for  him."  So  Madeline  and  little  Stephan,  for  that  was 
the  name  she  had  given  him  at  the  hospital,  thinking  of 
her  father  and  naming  the  baby  after  him,  went  into  a 
real  home  and  the  following  Sunday  Ronile  and  Mrs. 
Delien  attended  the  christening.  Stephan  William  was 
the  name  finally  decided  on,  as  the  aunt  said  he  would 
have  her  son's  name,  too.  "I  see  so  little  of  Willie,  and 
we  want  to  feel  as  if  he  were  our  baby  all  over  again. ' ' 

It  was  a  happy  birthday  party,  one  candle  burning 
before  the  statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  held  the  lit- 
tle Saviour  in  her  arms. 

"Oh,  Mother,"  said  Ronile,  "I  saw  this  statue  once 
before  in  the  church  in  Reno." 

"Yes,  dear,"  said  the  Woman,  "but  let  us  rejoice  in 
this  and  thank  the  Good  Mother  of  Jesus  for  it  was  she 
who  helped  Madeline  find  this  lovely  home." 

They  were  all  seated  at  the  table  eating  the  delicious 
paprika  chicken  and  noodles. 

"How  lovely!"  said  the  Woman. 

"Yes,  it  is  my  Willie's  favorite  dinner,  and  it  is  too 
bad  he  is  not  here,"  said  his  mother. 

' '  I  feel  him  very  close, ' '  said  the  Woman  with  a  dis- 
tant look,  and  before  long  they  heard  the  sounds  of  an 
automobile  horn  and  in  rushed  the  young  man,  tall  and 
stately  with  dark  curly  hair  and  dark  eyes  which  were 


POOR  MADELINE  217 

almost  black.  A  row  of  perfect  teeth  showed  as  he  smil- 
ingly asked,  "What's  all  this?" 

"A  surprise,"  said  his  father,  getting  up  to  greet 
him.  "Your  mother  found  her  brother  Stephan's  daughter 
and  we  are  having  a  party."  Madeline  blushed  to  her 
ears  as  she  looked  over  and  he  drank  in  the  beauty  of 
that  tender  little  form.  Her  skin  was  like  a  lily.  The 
boy  became  interested.  His  mother  laid  her  hands  on 
his  shoulders  and  kissed  him ;  then  she  introduced  him  to 
the  guests. 

"This  surely  is  a  surprise,"  he  said,  as  he  shook 
hands  with  all  and  then  went  to  clean  up,  as  he  had 
driven  from  Saratoga.  They  all  waited  for  their  dessert, 
while  the  mother  warmed  up  his  dinner.  He  soon  came 
back,  looking  quite  refreshed  and  indulged  heartily  in 
his  favorite  meal. 

"This  is  a  good  chicken;  which  one  did  you  kill?" 
he  asked  looking  at  his  father.  ' '  I  hope  it  wasn  't  my  pet 
Nicky." 

"No,"  said  the  elderly  gentleman,  pulling  the  ends 
of  his  mustache,  "he  vill  have  to  die  of  old  age."  After 
the  son  had  finished,  the  mother  served  a  delicious  look- 
ing apple  strudel. 

' '  How  you  like  dat  ? ' '  the  old  gentleman  asked  Made- 
line. "Remind  you  of  home?"  It  was  indeed  a  home- 
coming, and  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks. 

' '  Oh,  I  didn  't  want  to  make  you  cry !  I  shust  vant  to 
make  you  happy,  so  don't  cry,  my  little  girl,  you  must  all 
time  laugh,  you  know  vy,"  he  said  pointing  meaningly 
to  the  baby's  room.  "Dat  make  bad  milk."  It  was  the 
very  thing  that  made  the  tears  chase  each  other  and  drop 
on  the  white  hands. 

"Willie,  the  son,  looked  somewhat  puzzled,  then  he 
said,  "Catch  me  crying  when  I  see  strudel." 

"It  sure  is  strudel  (whirlpool  in  German)  she  cries 
about,"  said  the  father.  "You  know,  the  kind  of  strudel 
in  the  water  dat  pulls  you  down." 

He  looked  at  his  son  as  he  sipped  his  coffee,  then 
said  wistfully,  "Willie,  my  boy,  I  want  to  talk  mit  you 
pn  someting  vat  is  going  to  stop  dem  tears."  He  went 


218  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

to  a  humidor  and  took  out  two  cigars,  handing  one  to  his 
son,  who  later  struck  a  match  and  lighted  his  father's 
cigar  and  then  his  own.  After  taking  a  few  puffs  he 
took  his  son  by  the  arm  and  led  him  upstairs  into  the 
baby's  room.  He  pointed  to  the  little  bed  where  the  tiny 
pink-skinned  baby  was  cuddled  with  his  little  fists 
pressed  tightly  to  his  lips  sucking  away  for  dear  life. 
"Dat's  vy  she  cry,"  he  said  simply,  but  with  a  volume 
of  meaning.  He  took  a  vigorous  puff  at  his  cigar  but 
realizing  that  this  was  no  place  to  smoke  he  went  to  the 
window  and  pushed  the  curtain  aside  to  blow  the  smoke 
out.  Coming  back  he  looked  searchingly  at  his  son,  say- 
ing, "If  I  ever  lay  my  hand  on  him,  he  von't  have  time 
to  say  coo  coo." 

"Who  is  the  scoundrel?"  asked  the  son,  between  his 
teeth. 

"A  Jewish  fellow  where  she  vorked." 

"Where  is  he  now?" 

"In  the  war  fighting  like  a  gentleman-hero." 

One  could  hear  Willie's  teeth  grind  as  he  looked  at 
the  baby,  then  out  of  the  window  into  space,  his  cheek 
bones  twisting  convulsively. 

The  grandpa,  as  he  was  proud  to  be  called,  never 
was  happier  than  when  on  coming  home  from  work  and 
after  eating  his  dinner  Madeline  would  bring  the  baby 
and  say,  "Go  to  Grandpa." 

"Ya,  Ya,"  he  would  say.  "Come  you  little  brave  fel- 
low dat  never  cries." 

He  bent  over  him  now  and  noticed  how  wide-awake 
the  baby  was,  sucking  on  his  fists.  Then  he  took  out  his 
watch  and  said  excitedly :  ' '  My,  it  is  three  hours  past,  no 
wonder  dat  little  fellow  is  hungry,  and  he  don't  cry. 
But  nefer  mind,  my  little  baby,  Grandpa  will  get  your 
mama  to  give  you  some  dinner.  Ya,  Ya,"  thus  he  left  the 
surprised  son  as  he  went  to  the  stairs  and  called  Made- 
line. "Lenche!  Madeline!  Come  quick;  the  baby  wants 
you." 

"All  right,"  said  his  wife.  "She  is  coming;  tell 
Willie  to  come  down." 

"I  am  coming,  mother,"  and  he  passed  Madeline  on 


POOR  MADELINE  219 

the  stairs.  A  look  of  pity  swept  over  her  as  she  timidly 
climbed  the  stairs.  He  wanted  to  take  her  in  his  arms 
but  there  was  something  between ;  just  love.  That  some- 
thing was  placed  there  for  a  purpose,  he  thought,  that 
reminded  him  of  someone  else,  a  thief  so  great. 

"If  I  ever  get  my  hands  on  that  scoundrel,  I  will 
squeeze  the  last  drop  of  blood  out  of  him,"  he  thought. 

"See,  Willie,"  said  his  mother,  "take  an  example 
from  this  poor  girl,  she  is  yet  a  baby  herself  and  already 
ruined."  Pointing  toward  the  parlor,  where  Ronile  was 
playing  the  "Hungarian  Rhapsody"  for  her  mother,  she 
said:  "That  lady  found  her  in  the  park,  where  she 
wanted  to  drown  herself,  and  took  her  home.  So  God  led 
her  to  us,  the  only  relative  we  have  here.  Even  if 
Stephan  was  not  my  real  brother,  his  mother  became  my 
mother  and  that  made  us  sister  and  brother.  "Willie,  my 
boy,"  she  said  as  she  wiped  her  eyes  on  her  snow-white 
apron,  "never  ruin  a  girl,  promise  me  that." 

He  held  her  sweet  wrinkled  face  in  his  hands,  and 
kissed  her  trembling  lips  as  he  said:  "Forbidden  fruit 
is  sweet  at  first,  but  has  a  bitter  after-taste.  I  have  not 
been  an  angel,  mother,  but  when  I  see  that  poor  little 
innocent  baby  sucking  at  his  fists,  I  feel  as  if  I  wanted 
to  fight  somebody." 

They  listened  a  minute  to  the  music.  "My  favorite 
piece,"  said  the  boy  as  they  walked  into  the  parlor, 
where  he  took  out  his  violin  and  accompanied  Ronile  with 
great  skill.  The  grandpa  came  in  smiling,  and  drank  in 
the  strain  of  the  music  like  a  desert  wanderer  reaching 
an  oasis. 

"That's  what  I  call  music,"  he  said;  "I  like  it.  So 
happy  I  am,  Dunnerwetter,  I  could  dance  a  czardas. 
Even  our  little  boy  likes  the  music.  He  looks  as  if  he 
understood  it  already."  Then  an  idea  struck  him,  and 
he  walked  into  the  hall,  calling,  "Lenche,  bring  the  baby 
down."  The  old  gentleman  talked  of  nothing  but  the 
baby  and  how  smart  he  was,  and  slapping  his  knee,  he 
said,  "I  bet,  by  Christmas,  he  can  beat  the  drum." 

After  awhile  Madeline  came  back  with  the  baby. 
She  walked  over  and  laid  the  precious  little  bundle  on 


220  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WOULD 

grandpa's  lap.  He  beamed  with  pleasure,  as  he  clumsily 
tried  to  hold  him  in  a  comfortable  position. 

"Ja,  dat  is  the  best  place  in  the  world  for  the  little 
feller.  Anybody  who  hurts  a  hair  on  your  head  won't 
be  able  to  say  coo  coo  when  I  get  through  with  him." 

"I  never  saw  my  father  with  a  baby  and  it  sure  looks 
funny,"  said  Willie. 

"Sure  you  never  saw  me  hold  you,  you  wild  flyer, 
you  never  would  stay  one  minute  in  one  place." 

Thus  closed  the  curtain  of  another  perfect  day, 
thought  the  Woman,  as  they  went  home  and  thanked  the 
Father  as  she  looked  at  the  starry  heaven.  "  Another 
sorrow  has  turned  to  joy  and  vibrates  happiness  abun- 
dantly through  Thy  grace,  good,  great,  loving  Father." 

Time  passed;  the  Woman's  work  grew;  her  living 
and  dining  rooms  were  filled  with  people.  They  wrote  to 
her  for  tests  and  her  walks  were  much  shortened  for  want 
of  time.  As  the  sun  was  sinking  over  the  western  hori- 
zon, with  a  book  under  her  arm,  she  walked  daily  to  the 
highest  point  among  the  hills  in  the  park.  Few  visitors 
were  there  at  that  time.  There  she  sat  with  crumbs  to  feed 
the  birds  and  squirrels  who  knew  her,  and  greeted  her 
with  their  happy  chirps.  When  the  evening  star  became 
visible  she  would  slowly  walk  home,  drinking  in  the  won- 
derful, invigorating  air  in  deep  breaths.  She  was  ready 
to  transmit  the  silent,  eager  souls  to  those  who  were 
waiting  patiently  for  the  communion. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

TOMMY  SHOWS  HOW  MUCH  ALIVE  HE  IS,  EVEN  THOUGH 
HIS  BONES  AEE  EESTING  IN  FLANDEES  FIELD 

One  day  a  girl  with  a  shifting,  uneasy  look  in  her 
eyes  came  to  the  Woman  and  said,  "I'll  pay  you  well  if 
you  bring  him  back  to  me."  The  Woman  seemed  uncon- 
cerned at  the  remarks,  opened  a  book  of  Scripture,  and 
read  intently.  Then  she  took  the  girl's  hand  and  looked 
sadly  into  her  eyes,  saying,  ' '  The  one  you  want  is  not  for 
you  to  claim ;  he  belongs  to  another  woman  who  bore  his 
children. ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  the  girl,  "she  is  my  friend;  we  went  to 
school  together." 

"How  can  you  be  her  friend  when  yon  deceive  her?" 

"She  doesn't  know  it,"  said  the  girl,  showing  no 
emotion. 

"He  has  a  son  in  the  war  and  that  son  is  dead,"  said 
the  Woman,  and  she  accurately  described  him,  continu- 
ing, "This  boy  is  keeping  his  father  away  from  you." 

"It  seems  so,"  said  the  girl,  "for  ever  since  the  son 
went  his  father  has  dropped  me." 

"Why?  Because  he  is  afraid  God  will  punish  him 
by  taking  the  boy  away  from  him.  Then  the  man  tried 
to  do  justice  to  his  family." 

"Well,  he  will  have  to  do  justice  to  me,  too,"  said 
the  girl,  in  a  sobbing  voice. 

"Did  you  not  know  all  this  while  he  was  your 
friend's  husband?  And  then  you  want  me  to  invoke  holy 
spirits  to  help  you?  It  is  impossible,  but  I  can  pray  for 
you  that  the  departed  members  of  your  family  can  assist 
and  give  you  strength  to  give  him  up.  For  remember, 
the  spirit  of  his  son  will  never  let  the  father  deceive  his 
mother  who  trusts  you." 

"How  can  he  prevent  it,"  asked  the  girl  defiantly, 
"when  he  is  dead?" 

"But  his  spirit  is  alive  and  very  active;  otherwise  I 
could  not  see  him  so  clearly.  He  died  a  sacrifice  on  the 
altar  of  war,  therefore,  he  can  help  and  is  free  to  do  so." 


222  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Then  you  don't  think  he  will  come  back?" 

"No,  you  might  as  well  try  to  reach  for  the  man  in 
the  moon.  I  see  the  boy  shake  his  head." 

"My!  Tommy  dead!  His  mother  will  feel  terrible," 
said  the  girl. 

"Are  you  not  sorry  for  the  friend  who  will  weep  out 
her  sorrow  on  your  shoulder,  with  this  boy  at  your  side? 
Well,  then,  try;  you  can,  for  your  mother  will  help  you 
to  overcome.  She  was  a  good,  pious  woman  and  her  mes- 
sage is  this:  'Don't  commit  adultery,  for  you  will  wrap 
on  the  Master's  soul.'  Your  mother  would  rather  have 
died  at  the  stake  than  do  what  you  have  been  doing  for 
five  years." 

"How  do  you  know  it  has  been  five  years?"  asked 
the  girl,  uneasily. 

"Your  mother  told  me  and  she  knows,  my  dear." 

"Do  you  think  she  saw  everything?" 

"Indeed  she  did,  for  God  is  not  so  selfish  as  to  take 
your  mother  into  the  Great  Beyond  and  let  her  play  on 
a  golden  harp  when  you  needed  her  to  watch  and  guide 
you."  Here  she  took  the  girl's  hand  and  patted  it  gen- 
tly. "It  took  a  long  time  for  the  soul  of  your  poor 
mother  to  reach  you  and  have  her  message  transmitted  to 
you.  Now  you  will  have  strength  to  overcome  for  your 
good  mother  has  the  power  to  guide  you." 

' '  Is  she  happy  ? ' '  asked  the  girl  in  a  choked  voice. 

"If  you  live  the  right  life  she  will  be,"  came  the 
prompt  answer. 

"Does  she  know  I  burned  candles  and  had  masses 
read?" 

"Yes,  she  is  happy  about  that — the  thought  and 
attention  you  gave  her — but  it  was  tainted  money  that 
paid  for  them,  money  which  belonged  to  your  best  friend 
and  it  worried  your  mother;  made  her  very  sad.  If  I 
were  you,  dear,  I  would  get  work  in  another  city  until 
you  have  overcome." 

"I  can't  do  that,  especially  when  Tommy  is  dead; 
my  friends  need  me,"  said  the  girl. 

"You  won't  be  much  comfort  if  your  intentions  are 
deceiving,  my  dear,  therefore  I  would  try  and  go.  Your 


TOMMY  SHOWS  HOW  MUCH  ALIVE  HE  IS    223 

mother  and  Tommy  will  console  your  friend.  She  had  to 
bargain  with  death  as  she  made  him  enlist  in  the  Cana- 
dian Army." 

"It  is  her  country,  that  is  why,"  said  the  girl. 

"But  he  went  to  kill  another  mother's  son.  Such  is 
war.  We  want  it,  we  mothers  who  raise  sons ;  if  we  did 
not  there  would  be  no  war  to  come  and  things  would  be 
settled  without  the  killing  of  each  other's  children.  We 
call  the  Indians  savages  and  scalpers.  Why,  we  are  no 
better;  in  fact,  a  great  deal  worse,  because  the  Indian 
would  not  betray  a  friend.  He  is  truthful,  but  the  pity 
of  the  white  race  today  is  that  of  telling  lies.  The  big- 
gest liar  is  the  popular  man.  It  is  not  alone  that  you 
deceived  your  friend;  her  husband  did,  too." 

"If  he  hears  of  Tommy,  who  was  his  pride,"  said 
the  girl  shivering. 

"We  must  never  challenge  our  pride.  Death  is  only 
transition ;  he  harvests  the  blossoms  of  life  and  we,  after 
all  is  over,  seek  the  bones  and  mourn  at  the  graves  and 
make  up  for  what  we  could  have  done  before.  The  day 
will  come,  my  dear,  when  spirit-guiding  will  have  the 
upper  hand  and  will  prevent  slaughter. ' ' 

"I  could  listen  to  you  all  day,"  said  the  girl.  "How 
much  do  I  owe  you?" 

"Nothing,"  was  the  answer.  "When  you  can  look 
me  straight  in  the  eyes,  when  your  soul  is  free,  which  I 
hope  will  be  soon,  then  you  come  and  see  me  again." 

"But  do  take  something,"  said  the  girl.  "I  have 
taken  your  time  and  time  is  money ;  you  have  to  live. ' ' 

"Yes,  but  I  could  not  enjoy  your  money;  just  try 
hard ;  your  mother  will  reward  me  for  my  time." 

"I  will  try  hard,  and  please  tell  my  mother  to  help 
me,"  said  the  girl. 

"She  will,"  answered  the  Woman  as  she  closed  the 
door,  and  a  turn  in  the  road  opened  to  a  wandering  girl 
who  had  stolen  her  happiness  and  shamefully  turned 
every  day  to  sorrow.  There  was  a  difficult  turn  in  the 
road,  a  steep  and  stony  path,  trodden  alone  in  self-sup- 
port and  self-respect.  But  the  latter  now  crept  slowly 
over  the  form  into  the  eyes.  One  day  she  came,  a  look 


224  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WOKLD 

of  happiness  in  her  eyes  as  she  tried  to  meet  the  Woman's 
steady  gaze,  and  succeeded  with  credit. 

"You  have  won,"  said  the  Woman,  relieved. 

"Indeed  I  have,  and  am  going  to — Oh,  but  I  want 
you  to  tell  me;  I  was  so  happy  I  almost  told  you." 

"Be  married,"  finished  the  Woman. 

"You  got  it;  he  is  downstairs,"  said  the  eager  girl. 
' '  If  you  want  to  see  him,  I  will  call  him  up. ' ' 

"Not  just  yet;  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about  your 
future ;  the  past  is  gone  but,  oh,  there  is  a  wonderful  sun 
shining. ' ' 

"Does  my  mother  know?  You  know  I  see  her  in  my 
dreams  and  she  is  so  happy;  you  surely  advised  me 
wisely  for  if  I  had  not  gone  away  I  would  never  have  met 
him."  She  handed  the  Woman  a  box,  saying,  "You  would 
not  take  any  money  before,  but  please  take  this ;  it  was 
bought  with  my  own  money  which  I  earned."  The 
Woman  opened  the  box,  which  contained  a  pretty  lunch- 
eon set. 

"My  fiance  selected  it,"  said  the  girl  proudly.  The 
Woman  admired  the  beautiful  linen  tablecloth  and  nap- 
kins. 

' '  We  will  have  a  cup  of  tea  and  use  it  at  once ;  get 
your  friend,"  said  the  Woman,  "while  I  make  the  tea." 

Soon  the  alcohol  stove  was  burning  under  the  five 
o'clock  teapot,  and  when  the  betrothed  couple  came  in, 
a  melodious  humming  of  the  heating  water  greeted  them, 
giving  the  room  an  air  of  cordiality  and  comfort. 

"When  is  the  happy  event  to  occur?"  asked  the 
Woman,  after  the  introduction,  as  she  poured  out  the  tea 
for  the  happy  couple. 

"Next  week,"  they  replied.  Thanksgiving  came 
from  both  their  lips. 

"Will  you  be  married  here?" 

"No,"  said  the  bridegroom-to-be.  "In  Washington, 
where  my  parents  live,  and  we  would  be  very  happy  if 
you  would  come  to  bless  our  union."  Here  he  looked 
lovingly  at  his  chosen  bride  and  said,  "My  sweetheart 
here  tells  me  that  you  are  the  one  who  arranged  this  mat- 
ter, therefore,  we  feel  that  you  ought  to  be  present. ' ' 


TOMMY  SHOWS  HOW  MUCH  ALIVE  HE  IS    225 

' '  I  am  very  sorry  but  that  day  is  given  to  an  engage- 
ment party,"  said  the  Woman,  with  a  happy  look  in  her 
eyes.  "It  means  a  father  to  a  sweet  baby,  as  well  as  a 
husband  for  a  dear  little  girl-mother." 

"I  suppose  you  brought  this  about,"  said  the  gentle- 
man, much  interested. 

"I  helped  all  I  could,"  came  the  simple  answer. 

"Is  it  Madeline ;  the  girl  I  saw  here  with  the  baby?" 
asked  the  bride-to-be  eagerly. 

"Yes,  the  dear,  silent  friends  have  found  her  only 
relative  in  this  country — the  step-sister  of  her  father, 
really  no  blood-relation,  but  they  seem  very  devoted  and 
are  so  happy  to  have  found  the  distressed  girl.  They 
have  a  son,  a  handsome  chap,  and  he  fell  in  love  with 
Madeline  and  the  baby.  They  are  to  announce  their 
engagement  on  Thanksgiving  Day.  Therefore,  I  must 
go  there;  you  realize  that." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  am  so  happy  for  the  little  girl,  she  was 
the  sweetest  little  thing." 

"Will  they  be  married  at  once?"  asked  the  inter- 
ested bridegroom-to-be. 

"No,  they  promised  a  six  months'  betrothal;  they 
want  to  marry  after  Easter,  as  the  young  man  will  have 
to  spend  the  winter  in  Florida  with  his  employer.  The 
parents  of  the  young  man  are  Austrians ;  they  believe  in 
a  long  courtship." 

"I  could  not  stand  that,"  said  the  bridegroom, 
looking  lovingly  at  his  future  wife;  "could  you,  sweet- 
heart?" 

"I  guess  not,"  came  the  happy  answer.  The  gen- 
tleman looked  at  his  watch. 

"You  are  pressed  for  time,"  said  the  Woman  rising 
to  go  into  her  test-room,  where  she  summoned  the  bride- 
groom's departed  relatives  and  friends.  Tommy  also 
came  and  greeted  the  new  bridegroom-to-be-friend  and 
told  him  that  within  one  year's  time  he,  too,  would  be  on 
the  battlefield,  but  that  Tommy  could  help  him  and  try 
to  spare  his  life,  if  it  was  the  Father's  will. 

"Then  Tommy  thinks  this  country  will  declare 
war?"  said  the  young  man,  with  a  wrinkled  brow. 


226  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Yes,"  came  the  simple  answer. 

"But  the  President  promised  to  keep  this  country 
out  of  it,"  continued  the  gentleman. 

Here  Tommy  answered:  "It  is  booked  in  the  record 
of  time  that  a  promise  is  just  a  shell.  The  cause  is  the 
commercial  seed  that  brings  the  fruit  to  our  dictators 
who  speculate  with  human  lives  on  the  money  market. 
Columbia  will  be  captivated  by  his  majesty,  'Greed  of 
Finance.'  There  is  a  huge  fleet  resting  in  our  shore's 
arms.  If  we  cut  the  cord  of  present  ownership  they  may 
belong  to  us  without  much  cost,  except  the  lives  that 
burn  in  the  commercial  furnace.  Believe  me,"  continued 
Tommy,  "we  are  not  dead.  A  new  dynasty  has  been  cre- 
ated; we  are  now  getting  united  in  a  legion  of  divine 
universal  brotherhood.  Our  emblem  is  the  white  flag. 
Our  leader  that  One  that  never  built  a  church  but  taught 
the  greatest  religion  of  all — Brotherhood  of  Man;  Love 
ye  one  another.  The  One  that  never  used  a  weapon.  He 
healed  with  love  in  His  eyes ;  made  the  market  place  His 
church  and  carried  His  cross  to  Calvary,  just  as  we  car- 
ried our  guns  to  kill  someone  we  never  knew,  and  they 
came  to  kill  us,  whom  they  never  knew.  We  were  led  by 
a  command  of  despotism  to  get  the  other  fellow's  hold, 
making  numb  the  hand  that  toiled  for  the  bread  of  inno- 
cent hungry  babies  and  wrinkled  old  faces  that  are  too 
old  to  learn  the  language  of  the  one  who  might  take  their 
lifelong  savings  in  taxes  to  pay  for  his  grandeur  and 
march  into  the  reigning  chair  to  handle  the  fate  of 
millions  subjected." 

"You  speak  well,  Tommy,"  said  the  gentleman. 

"It  is  not  I  alone,"  came  the  answer.  "There  are 
some  here  who  know  more  than  I  do ;  they  help  me." 

"Then  you  don't  like  war?" 

"No,  we  don't  like  anything  that  leads  to  sorrow 
and  destruction.  Do  you  think  I  am  happy  here  when 
my  mother  is  crying  her  eyes  out  because  I  don't  come 
back  in  body?  If  she  only  knew  how  near  I  am  she 
would  stop  her  grieving,  for  I  am  glad  I  went  across  the 
channel  of  sacrifice.  I  have  worked  out  a  cause  that  will 
put  my  parents  in  a  happy  state  of  union. ' '  Here  a  deep 
sigh  came  from  the  bride-to-be. 


TOMMY  SHOWS  HOW  MUCH  ALIVE  HE  IS    227 

Tommy  seemed  to  hear  it  for  he  said :  "It  is  all  right 
now;  God  forgives  those  who  are  willing  to  be  forgiven, 
and  gladly  lends  a  hand  to  those  who  are  earnestly  seek- 
ing redemption.  God  bless  your  union  and  keep  you 
together,  is  the  sincere  wish  of  Tommy.  Good-by." 

Thus  the  test  ended  and  one,  who  had  sinned  and  was 
forgiven  by  trying  earnestly  to  climb  the  road  of  self- 
denial,  was  led  to  a  height  of  comfort  and  happiness 
where  love  in  true  form  and  real  affection  met  the  foot- 
sore wandering  pilgrim. 

"What  a  wonderful  spirit  this  Tommy  is!"  said  the 
gentleman,  as  he  carefully  assisted  his  bride-to-be,  step- 
ping into  their  waiting  car.  "It  makes  you  feel  good  to 
have  a  talk  with  unseen  friends.  I  will  come  again,"  he 
said,  as  he  stepped  on  the  gas  and  sped  away  happily. 

A  few  months  later  both  those  people  enlisted  in  the 
Red  Cross  service,  and  went  abroad  thinking  strongly  of 
Tommy  to  guide  them  and  help  ease  the  suffering  broth- 
erhood of  mankind. 

Another  curtain  was  drawn  over  these  two  who  were 
trying  to  strengthen  the  tie  of  love  and  union  by  helping 
others  and  trying  to  forget  themselves. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE  CEOSS  WITHIN  THE  GUN 

It  was  Good  Friday  when  the  great  cloud  of  war 
swept  over  the  inhabitants  on  the  Island  of  Refuge — 
America.  It  was  a  wave  of  fiery  hate  and  mothers 
paraded  in  jubilee  at  the  coming  death  of  their  sons.  The 
Woman's  house  was  swarmed  with  anxious  forms  occupy- 
ing every  chair,  waiting  patiently  for  a  chance  to  com- 
mune with  their  departed.  It  was  a  war  of  principle 
rather  than  defense  for  the  enemy  had  not  declared  war. 
Like  a  clever  move  on  a  checkerboard,  one  small  device, 
one  word,  so  fierce  and  mighty  that  turns  rosy  cheeks  into 
a  haggard  countenance,  takes  the  earners  for  bread  from 
the  homes  and  lines  them  up  like  iron  rods  that  hang  a 
millionfold  on  the  great  device.  It  is  pushed  into  motion 
by  one  bony  finger  and  called  the  principle  whereby 
young  lives  dangle  like  the  leaves  on  a  tree  in  autumn, 
although  it  is  still  springtime  in  their  lives. 

"Will  my  son  have  to  go?"  asked  many  a  mother. 
Then  the  Woman  took  the  Bible  and  read  and  talked  as 
follows:  "  'And  men  will  stir  up  evil  thoughts  among 
your  kin,  and  they  will  hate  you  and  will  give  you  up  to 
die,  and  brothers  will  be  false  to  brothers ;  sons  will  stand 
forth  and  testify  against  their  own  and  children  will 
drive  parents  to  the  funeral  pile.'  They  will  not  see  the 
spirit  of  reason.  The  son  of  Israel  had  time  to  think  on 
this  lonely  tour  to  exile  and  while  the  sweeping  and  roar- 
ing grow,  he  with  the  master-mind  steals  the  disk  from 
the  bony  finger  that  pressed  the  great  machinery,  fired  by 
gold,  not  mind.  The  prosperous  son  of  Israel  denies  his 
hold  of  Jewish  doom,  changes  his  name  and  religion  to 
coin  more  freely.  While  the  lower  thinks  instead  of  spec- 
ulates and  quietly  builds  a  chain  of  true  steel  that  links 
each  struggler  from  the  plow  to  the  roaring  of  the  fur- 
nace, that  great  chain  is  worked  out  in  the  dark,  not 
blinded  by  the  light  of  fame  and  fortune.  It,  therefore, 
has  the  power  of  holding  and  is  scattered  from  every 
angle  of  Jewish  doom.  The  man  who  holds  his  hands 


THE  CROSS  WITHIN  THE  GUN 

behind  his  back,  holds  firm  that  chain,  and  when  the  spec- 
ulator is  drunk  from  gain  and  wealth,  resting  in  arms 
much  claimed  by  many,  that  spends  the  bloody  price  to 
adorn  the  throat  of  the  courtesan  with  rubies,  blood,  and 
diamonds — tears,  from  hungry  eyes.  Then  at  the  twelfth 
hour  when  drunk  with  bought  affection  and  comfortably 
resting  within  the  cushions  of  wealth,  the  heavens  again 
will  darken — no  time  to  parade  at  this  signal — and  the 
spirit  of  past  sorrow  will  manifest  through  the  forms  of 
those  who  still  hold  claim  to  the  tree  of  Israel.  Like  ser- 
pents, their  moans  turning  to  a  hiss,  they  will  spring  at 
the  form,  making  numb  the  hands  that  once  more  build  a 
golden  calf  and  which  did  not  heed  the  message  of  the 
Commandment,  'Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before 
me — ' 

"The  trials  in  those  days  cannot  be  told  in  words 
until  the  Son  of  God  as  Son  of  Man  comes  forth  to  claim 
his  chosen  brotherhood,  as  the  lamb  that  beat  the  lion. 
Then  He  surveys  the  field  of  life  and  each  will  have  a 
pass-key  to  the  gate  of  freedom  into  the  land  of  existence, 
where  each  one  will  recognize  his  claim  staked  by  Him 
with  the  sign  of  the  cross  and  not  of  the  sword.  Then  the 
roaring  will  be  transmuted  to  a  breath  of  contentment, 
the  holy  breath  carried  by  unseen  messengers  to  those 
who  hold  the  cross.  A  wreath  is  placed,  made  from  for- 
get-me-nots around  .the  cross,  a  crown,  not  of  jewels,  but 
thorns  that  turned  through  loving  memory  into  a  wreath 
of  tender,  smiling  forget-me-nots.  A  dove  as  white  as 
snow  will  rest  on  each  cross  and  bring  us  peace,  and  over 
each  threshold  the  inscription  will  read,  '  Da  pacem,  Dom- 
ine,  in  diebus  nostris,  quia  non  est  alius  qui  pugnet  pro 
nobis,  nisi  Tu,  Deus  noster.  (Peace  give  us,  oh  Lord  I 
in  our  times  for  there  is  no  other  who  would  fight  for 
us,  but  Thee,  our  God.)' 

"There  is  a  resurrection,"  said  a  voice  out  of  the 
Woman;  "look  to  tomorrow  with  effort  for  redemption. 
A  resurrection  from  death  is  coming  as  true  as  the  One 
who  went  this  day  to  conquer  death  through  ignorance 
and  unbelief.  It  is  He  who  turns  your  sword  into  the 
cross;  all  these  straight  lines  in  the  parade  are  bearing 
the  cross  concealed  in  their  guns.  It  will  fire  while  he 


230  THE  WAY  OP  THE  WORLD 

feeds  it  with  the  deadly  fuse  to  challenge  the  combatants, 
to  charge  and  pour  out  the  poison  blindly  because  the  one 
behind  the  danger  line  gave  the  command.  This  is  the 
anniversary  of  the  resurrection  of  the  greatest  Prince 
of  Peace  who  died  for  love  of  man,  and  on  this  day  the 
lamb  is  not  regarded.  Oh,  but  cruel  lion  that  gnashes  its 
teeth  into  human  flesh!  Not  in  vain  went  the  millions 
over  the  river  of  sacrifice  to  join  Him  whose  blood  has 
paid  for  the  sins  of  man.  They  are  also  parading  above 
the  clouds  in  that  newly  created  dynasty  and  will  come 
forth  to  shield  those  who  recognized  the  cross  within  the 
gun.  They  with  the  psychic  foresight  know  when  to 
dodge  the  bullet  and  lead  them  on  in  faith  where  the 
Prince  of  Peace  will  show  His  might  as  He  gathers  the 
fragments  of  faith  and  brings  them  back  to  the  weeping 
mothers  an  echo  of  sorrow.  The  one  who  wishes  others 
to  starve  will  slowly  feel  the  grip  of  hunger  stealing 
around  the  throat  of  her  own,  appealing  to  the  Father 
who  owns  all  and  gives  them  reason  to  love  one  another." 

Easter  came ;  the  churches  were  celebrating  the  great 
feast  of  the  Resurrection  and  preparing  the  pulpit  of 
truth  to  arouse  the  spirit  of  eye  for  an  eye  and  bloody 
encounter,  to  drink  the  wine  and  eat  the  host  in  mem- 
ory of  the  One  who  bled  for  just  that  cause  and  made  a 
living  symbol  of  love  in  united  brotherhood. 

One  day  Madeline  and  her  mother,  as  she  now  called 
Willie's  mother,  since  their  betrothal,  came  with  a  look 
of  anxiety  on  their  faces.  They  put  the  sleeping  little 
Stephan  on  the  bed  and  entered  the  test-room. 

' '  Willie  has  been  drafted, ' '  said  the  Woman  after  she 
had  read  a  few  pages  of  Scripture. 

' '  Oh,  can 't  the  spirit  friends  help  ? ' '  said  the  anxious 
mother.  "Here  we  wanted  to  marry  them  and  now  he, 
my  only  son,  will  have  to  go  and  kill  my  sisters'  and 
brothers'  sons." 

Then  Madeline  sobbed,  "My  brothers,  too." 

"Does  God  want  such  an  unjust  cause?"  said  the 
mother.  "Here  is  a  man  who  would  make  good  a  wrong 
another  man  has  committed,  and  he  may  join  the  same 
ranks  as  the  one  who  wronged  Madeline.  How  can  that 
be  just?" 


THE  CROSS  WITHIN  THE  GUN  231 

"Was  it  just  to  crucify  Jesus  who  claimed  to  be 
only  the  Son  of  God?"  asked  the  Woman.  "An  orthodox 
today  will  turn  his  face  from  the  sight  of  the  statue  which 
represents  Jesus,  the  Nazarene.  Although  Christ  lived  a 
perfect  life  of  the  Jewish  faith,  held  their  festivals  and 
rites  in  true  Jewish  fashion  and  never  tried  to  change 
His  people's  mind  in  changing  their  faith,  He  taught  them 
only  healing  through  faith  and  power  over  death  by 
proving  spirit  return.  He  died  and  was  buried  after  Jew- 
ish fashion.  The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  were  His  enemies, 
because  He  tried  to  make  each  being  a  mortal  of  self- 
governing  capacity,  by  respecting  the  law  of  nature  in 
the  law  of  God." 

"But  He  was  baptized,"  said  Madeline.  "Jews  do 
not  believe  in  baptism;  I  lived  with  them  so  long  that  I 
know  all  their  laws." 

"Yet  at  such  times,"  said  the  Woman,  "they  are 
willing  to  let  a  Christian  girl  wait  on  them ;  also  at  their 
great  feast.  You  see  religion  plays  a  selfish  part  when 
comfort  is  concerned.  Christ  was  baptized  to  show  the 
symbol  of  the  cleansing  of  the  soul.  Water  is  magnetic. 
It  is  the  only  thing  that  comes  from  above,  the  only  thing 
we  cannot  duplicate  or  live  without,  and  He  and  John 
knew  the  power  of  magnetism  in  the  water." 

' '  Oh, ' '  said  Madeline.  ' '  Then  that  is  why  we  use  holy 
water  at  home  and  have  a  house  blessed  before  we  live 
in  it." 

"Evil  spirit,"  said  the  medium,  "must  succumb  to 
the  power  of  holy  water;  that  is  why  we  have  baptism. 
If  a  sin  should  rest  on  the  soul  of  a  person,  that  water 
will  cleanse  away  the  mark  of  sin,  if  the  person  has  faith 
in  it.  Baptism  did  not  bring  Christ  from  His  Jewish  rites 
for  He  did  not  change  them.  He  loved  them  but  He 
wanted  equality.  Man  should  not  think  himself  superior 
because  he  is  favored  by  some  particular  faith." 

"Then  you  think  he  should  go?"  asked  the  worried 
mother. 

"What  else  can  he  do?"  came  the  answer.  "Prayer 
never  fails.  God  will  find  a  place  for  him,  where  he  will 
not  have  to  shoulder  a  gun,  even  though  he  serves  his 
country." 


232  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"I  don't  mind  his  going  if  he  doesn't  have  to  take 
arms  against  our  people.  We  make  our  living  here  and 
we  want  to  do  our  duty  in  the  right  way  so  that  we  can 
always  face  our  people." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  Woman.  "Your  duty  to 
your  loved  ones  is  important  also ;  one  cannot  blame  you 
for  that.  No  one  can  help  the  lap  he  falls  into,  and  no 
matter  how  ragged  and  poor  that  lap  looks,  a  baby  drinks 
perhaps  sweeter  milk  at  such  a  bosom  than  the  one  that 
fell  into  the  lap  of  a  costly,  decorated  and  paid  nurse.  A 
baby's  gurgle  is  the  same,  regardless  of  color  or  race 
until  it  is  taught  to  speak,  then  it  begins  to  differ. 
It  seems  to  me,"  continued  the  Woman,  thoughtfully,  "if 
a  man  wants  to  adjust  a  wrong  another  man  committed 
in  giving  a  name  to  a  baby,  God  surely  will  show  His 
mercy  and  appreciation  in  sparing  his  life. ' ' 

"But  he  might  get  wounded  and  come  back  a  crip- 
ple, then  Madeline  would  have  more  worries,"  said  the 
mother. 

"I  would  not  mind  how  badly  he  was  hurt  if  his 
eyes  were  spared,"  said  Madeline,  her  own  eyes  filling 
up  at  the  thought  of  losing  him. 

"God's  mills  grind  slowly,  but  sure,  dear,"  said  the 
mother  trying  to  console  the  little  girl-mother.  "He 
brought  you  to  us  and  for  that  He  had  an  object;  now  He 
won't  forget  us  for  we  are  bound  to  remind  Him  each 
day  in  faith  and  prayer." 

By  this  time  little  Stephan  William  was  giving  a 
demonstration  of  his  lung  power.  He  was  a  beautiful 
child  with  sparkling  black  eyes  and  black  hair  which  fell 
in  ringlets  about  his  face.  His  mother  took  him  in  her 
arms,  and  he  held  up  to  her  a  ring  which  Willie  had  given 
him. 

"Who  gave  you  that?"  she  asked,  to  which  he 
replied,  "Dada." 

"He  means  Willie,"  said  Madeline  with  blushing 
cheeks.  Then  she  asked  him,  "Where  is  dada?" 

"By-by,"  he  answered,  and  pointed  toward  the  door. 

"If  he  gets  off  soon,  he  will  call  for  us,"  said  the 
proud  mother. 


OFFICIAL 

AWARD 
RIBBON 


PANAMA  PACIFIC 

INTERNATIONAL 

EXPOSITION 
SAN  FRANCISCO 

1915 


PRESIDENT  Oftm  SUPERIOR  JURr 


OIRECTOROF  EXHIBITS 


<^45^SU~^vx^ 

SECT'Y  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAl 
AWARD  SYSTEM 

GOLD 
MEDAL 

DEPARTMENT OF 

HORTICULTURE 


The  Reward  of  Faith  in  Fate. — Page  156. 


THE  CROSS  WITHIN  THE  GUN  233 

After  a  while  they  heard  the  tooting  of  an  automo- 
bile horn  and  the  baby  nearly  jumped  out  of  the  mother's 
arms. 

"See  how  he  knows  him,"  said  Madeline. 

Madeline  opened  the  door  for  Will  and  before  he  saw 
the  baby  he  called  out  "Atta  Boy,"  and  the  little  fellow 
answered,  "Dada-da. "  How  he  reached  toward  the  big, 
clean  boy  who  wanted  to  claim  and  shield  him  from  harm, 
giving  what  few  others  would  have  deemed  just  and 
respectable. 

"That  baby  just  knows  what  you  mean  to  him," 
said  the  Woman  as  she  drank  in  the  sight  of  affection 
from  all  sides.  "He  pays  you  interest  on  the  deal 
already." 

"That's  what  I  say,"  said  Willie,  as  he  threw  the 
pink  and  white  baby  into  the  air  and  caught  him,  kissing 
the  rosy  cheeks  each  time. 

"This  is  God-given  happiness,  Willie,  hold  on  to  it," 
said  the  Woman. 

"You  bet  I  will,"  and  turning  to  Madeline  he  said, 
' '  And  we  will  have  to  get  married,  sweetheart,  for  I  must 
go  into  the  training  camp  on  Monday." 

With  quivering  lips  the  mother  laid  her  hands  on  his 
shoulders  and  looked  into  his  eyes,  saying,  "God  surely 
will  not  let  you  shoulder  a  gun ! ' ' 

"He  will  pray  for  that,"  said  the  son,  smiling,  mean- 
ing the  baby  as  he  held  him  up  to  kiss  the  sadness  from 
his  mother's  face. 

Then  Madeline  said,  "Baby,  say  your  prayer."  Two 
little  hands  folded  themselves  and  two  baby  eyes  were 
lifted  and  all  that  they  heard  was,  "De  Dod,  da  da,"  but 
the  words  contained  a  volume  of  meaning. 

"Dear  God  bless  daddy,"  corrected  this  little 
mother. 

The  wedding  feast  was  not  so  happy  as  had  been  con- 
templated ;  it  seemed  that  all  were  depressed  but  the 
baby  who  hung  on  to  his  daddy  for  dear  life. 

"Dat  young  fellow  knows  how  to  hold  on  to  a  good 
thing,"  said  the  grandfather.  "If  anybody  had  ever  told 
me  that  our  Willie  would  have  to  fight  our  own  people  I 


234  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

never  would  have  believed  it.  But  Willie,  there  is  one 
over  dere  dat  did  harm  and  ven  you  lay  your  hands  on 
him  choke  him  so  he  can't  say  coo  coo." 

"That's  the  only  one  I  would  like  to  shoulder  a  gun 
for,"  replied  the  son. 

"Now,  Willie,  don't  go  with  the  intention  of  killing 
and  malice  in  your  heart,"  said  the  Woman.  "You  know 
how  well  the  Lord  has  arranged  everything.  You  would 
never  part  with  the  baby;  he  pays  you  with  his  smiles. 
Now  forget  the  Whys  and  Wherefores;  do  your  duty  at 
every  station,  and  heed  the  voice  of  the  Prince  of  Mercy, 
and  He  will  lead  you  all  to  a  happy  ending." 

"You  are  right,"  he  said,  lifting  his  bride  up  and 
kissing  her  like  the  baby. 

"Oh,  God,"  he  cried,  "how  I  hate  to  leave  you! " 

"  I  '11  be  here,  waiting  for  you,  Willie  dear.  Our  love 
will  bring  you  back." 

"Good  for  you,  Madeline,  that's  the  way  to  talk. 
Love  will  bring  him  back.  Love  is  the  password  that 
leads  to  God's  grace.  'Tis  the  good  ship,  Salvation,  that 
cuts  through  the  waves  to  rescue  the  souls  from  their 
watery  grave.  He  will  come  back  to  you,"  were  the  final 
words  the  Woman  said  as  they  left. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

GOOD  FOE  EVIL 

Some  time  later,  a  quite  dignified  looking  lady  was 
announced.  She  had  to  wait  until  the  medium  had  fin- 
ished a  sitting  with  a  girl,  and  two  more  ladies  were 
ahead  of  her. 

Seeing  the  medium  escort  the  girl  to  the  door,  the 
lady  came  over,  saying,  ''I  am  in  a  hurry  and  must  see 
you  at  once." 

The  medium  made  no  move  except  to  say,  "These 
people  are  ahead  of  you." 

"Don't  class  me  with  these  servants,"  said  the  lady, 
stamping  her  foot. 

"But,  madam,  we  don't  make  any  class  distinction," 
said  the  Woman  earnestly.  "There  are  no  classes  in  our 
work,  and  besides  you  don't  belong  in  any  class  that 
leads  to  spirit  communion.  I  am  afraid,  therefore,  that 
you  are  wasting  your  time.  These  girls  here  are  employed 
and  must  get  back  to  their  work.  They  are  conscientious, 
and  if  you  cannot  wait  your  turn,  I  must  bid  you  go. ' ' 

"I  will  not  go;  I  must  see  you,"  said  the  other. 

"But  I  did  not  call  you,  and  you  will  have  to  wait 
your  turn  if  you  insist." 

' '  I  will  wait, ' '  said  the  other  with  raised  head,  as  she 
walked  toward  the  window  and  looked  out.  After  those 
ahead  of  her  had  been  dismissed,  the  Woman  beckoned 
her  to  enter. 

"Now  before  I  start  with  you,"  said  the  Woman,  "I 
must  tell  you  that  your  visit  here  was  made  with  evil 
intention;  you  came  to  get  evidence  against  me  to  have 
me  prosecuted." 

"Who  told  you  that?" 

"Your  cook's  mother,"  said  the  medium. 

"What  is  my  cook's  name?" 

"Nina,  and  it  was  the  spirit  of  your  own  mother, 
whose  name  is  Elizabeth,  who  begged  me  to  see  you;  that 
is  why  you  are  here. ' '  (Here  the  stranger  looked  at  the 
Woman  in  amazement,  for  no  one  knew  her  mother's 


236  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

name.)  "Yes,  you  were  just  two  years  old  when  she 
died,  in  confinement,  and  that  child  is  with  her,"  said  the 
Woman.  "This  child  is  the  guardian  angel  for  your 
daughter,  who  is  about  to  make  a  misstep  and  you 
know  it." 

Here  the  stranger  sat  down,  no  longer  able  to  stand 
on  her  feet. 

"So,"  said  the  Woman,  "this  is  the  past  I  am  telling 
you  about.  I  don't  intend  to  predict  so  that  you  can 
have  me  'put  where  I  belong,'  which  are  the  words  you 
said  at  lunch  in  the  presence  of  three  people  around  your 
table.  I  did  no  wrong  in  telling  your  servant  that  her 
mother  had  been  dead  for  two  years." 

"Yes,"  said  the  stranger,  "that  is  why  I  became  dis- 
gusted. She  has  been  crying  ever  since  she  saw  you  and 
today  I  got  her  to  tell  me  why,  and  I  came  here  to  get 
you  for  making  so  much  trouble  among  our  servants.  I 
don't  intend  to  put  up  with  a  crying  servant." 

"She  doesn't  cry  for  pleasure,  madam,"  said  the 
Woman,  sadly.  "Her  tears  are  not  because  her  mother 
is  with  God  and  out  of  the  body.  She  knows  better  than 
that.  Her  tears  are  because  she  left  her  mother  in  good 
faith  to  better  herself  and  her  mother,  and  was  willing  to 
make  some  sacrifices  to  earn  more  money;  then  the  gates 
closed,  no  letter  was  received,  her  savings  were  sent  the 
last  moment  and  never  reached  her  mother.  Then  for 
years  she  cooked  your  meals  and  every  bite  she  ate  she 
felt  that  perhaps  her  own  people  were  starving.  Her  time 
was  spent  in  giving  you  comfort  and  her  mother  had 
nothing  to  eat  and  no  money  to  buy  anything." 

"The  girl  has  money  saved,"  said  the  lady.  "She 
has  five  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  Liberty  Bonds." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  "and  you  took  the  credit 
for  that ;  you  did  not  buy  any  but  took  the  money  from 
your  servant  to  buy  your  glory  and  now  you  are  annoyed 
that  she  weeps  at  the  thought  that  her  mother  might  have 
starved.  If  you  ladies  wanted  to  do  good,  why  did  you 
not  help,  when  you  aided  them  in  becoming  naturalized, 
in  also  seeing  that  good  will  was  installed  by  way  of  get- 
ting a  line  from  home  to  know  who  was  living  and  who 


GOOD  FOR  EVIL  237 

was  dead  ?  So  far  the  girl  has  worked  for  nothing, ' '  con- 
tinued the  Woman.  "The  one  for  whom  the  money  was 
intended  is  no  more  and  you  took  the  honor.  Now, 
madam,  go  and  report  me." 

"I  can't,"  said  the  stranger,  "I  want  you  to  tell  me 
more  about  my  daughter,  and  is  my  mother  going  to  help 
me?" 

"When  you  first  came,"  said  the  Woman,  "I  saw 
your  cook's  mother  and  your  own  mother  serving  at  the 
same  table  of  righteousness.  They  cannot  help  you  as 
long  as  you  are  taking  the  liberty  from  one  who  has 
served  you  for  wages.  The  wages  are  hers  and  you  have 
no  power  over  her.  She  gave  you  her  services,  so  don't 
compel  a  girl  to  give  up  all  with  which  she  intended  to 
help  her  loved  ones.  You  have  nothing  but  grievances 
from  your  own  daughter.  A  mother  in  spirit  holds  well 
her  own  child,  but  you  can  never  tell  where  your  daugh- 
ter spent  the  late  previous  hours.  That  is  your  punish- 
ment and  your  child  bears  the  stain  for  your  sins  in 
taking  the  freedom  from  another  child,  no  matter  what 
vocation  she  had  to  resort  to  in  search  of  an  honest  liv- 
ing. If  you  had  put, your  arms  around  that  weeping  girl 
and  talked  to  her  like  a  mother  who  also  has  a  daughter 
and  doesn't  know  what  tomorrow  brings  for  her,  the 
lonely  stranger,  who  has  been  with  you  long  enough  to 
feel  like  a  member  of  your  family,  would  have  felt  that 
there  was  someone  in  the  world  who  was  interested  in 
her.  Intuitively  she  knew  something  was  wrong  and  was 
led  to  me  for  comfort.  Then  you,  the  guilty  one,  come 
to  judge  me  and  take  my  freedom,  although  I,  too,  have 
a  daughter  depending  on  me  for  the  bread  I  earn  for 
many  years.  Did  not  your  cook  knit  more  sweaters  and 
socks  than  both  you  and  your  daughter  together,  and 
that  after  she  had  finished  her  work  of  serving  you  ?  You 
took  and  displayed  in  public  the  work  of  your  servant 
who  was  classed  as  a  Hun  and  exhibited  it  as  your  own 
achievement.  No  good  can  come  from  such  actions, 
madam;  you  should  do  unto  others  as  you  would  have 
them  do  unto  you." 

The  stranger  sighed  and  said,  "I  would  like  to  send 


238  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

my  daughter  to  you,"  and  left  without  even  leaving  a 
coin  to  cover  the  time  the  Woman  spent  in  opening  the 
pages  of  equality. 

' '  I  will  not  have  time  to  see  you  or  your  daughter  in 
future.  If  they  were  all  like  you  I  could  not  help  any- 
body; I  would  have  to  do  other  work  in  order  to  live." 
Thus  she  closed  the  door  and  was  so  exhausted  that  she 
had  to  send  the  rest  of  the  seekers  for  truth  and  love 
away,  although  they  were  willing  to  pay  for  the  time. 

"Tomorrow  I  will  have  more  strength,"  said  the 
Woman. 

"And  she  did  not  pay  you  anything,"  said  a  blue- 
eyed  Irish  girl;  "and  to  think  how  rich  she  is  and  took 
your  time." 

"It  is  only  the  poor  who  feel  the  necessity  of  helping 
to  ease  the  sting  of  starvation.  Such  is  the  way  of  the 
world,"  said  the  Woman  as  she  closed  the  door. 

The  next  day  the  cook  came  and  told  the  Woman 
what  a  fight  she  had  had  with  the  madam  and  that  she 
had  left  her  employ.  She  took  a  dollar  from  her  purse 
and  said,  "I  want  to  pay  you  for  the  time  my  mistress 
took  from  you." 

"Don't  bother;  there  was  a  reason  for  her  coming 
although  she  did  take  all  my  strength." 

"Yes,  it  was  the  Irish  girl  who  is  a  waitress  next 
door  who  told  me  that  my  mistress  did  not  pay  you  any- 
thing, and  I  was  so  ashamed  that  I  left  her.  Now  she  is 
like  a  wildcat." 

"Well,  your  time  is  up  there,"  said  the  medium,  and 
she  walked  to  the  telephone  and  called  up  the  house- 
keeper for  a  very  fine  lady  on  Riverside  Drive.  Coming 
back  she  gave  the  girl  the  address  and  told  her  to  go 
there,  as  she  would  have  a  second  girl  and  the  wages 
would  be  double  what  she  had  been  getting. 

The  next  day  Nina,  the  cook,  was  swinging  the 
kitchen  scepter  among  a  lovely  lot  of  domestics.  The 
madam  was  a  lonely  widow  and  happy  to  get  help  that 
were  spiritually  inclined.  One  day  she  herself  went  to 
the  Woman  for  a  reading.  She  did  not  want  the  house- 
keeper to  let  the  medium  know  who  she  was,  and  dressed 


GOOD  FOR  EVIL  239 

very  plainly,  leaving  her  car  at  the  corner.  But  Nina's 
mother  was  a  soul  who  had  power  to  show  her  smiling, 
happy  countenance  to  the  medium,  thus  she  helped  to 
identify  Nina's  new  employer,  who  seemed  kind  and  gen- 
erous to  the  lower  class.  In  a  short  time  the  medium  had 
linked  up  this  good  woman's  loved  ones  and  when  the 
husband's  spirit  came  and  told  her  about  the  sale  of  the 
last  property  and  how  much  she  received,  and  told  her 
not  to  sell  the  estate  on  the  Hudson,  that  he  saw  a  better 
outlook,  and  that  money  was  safer  invested  in  real  estate 
than  in  stocks,  the  wealthy  lady  was  convinced  that  there 
must  be  something  to  it. 

"Too  bad  I  did  not  know  you  before.  That  was  a 
very  good  cook  you  sent  me,  and  I  am  happy  to  have  such 
spiritual  help.  There  is  a  different  atmosphere  about  my 
place  and  my  health  is  very  much  improved. ' ' 

"Indeed,  madam,"  said  the  medium,  "harmony  is 
the  very  best  medicine  for  all  kinds  of  ailments." 

"You  are  right,  my  dear,"  came  the  sweet  mellow 
answer,  "and  I  want  to  make  my  help  happy  at  home." 

"They  feel  that  way  now,  madam,  for  every  one  of 
them  has  been  to  see  me,  and  expressed  the  wish  to 
remain  with  you." 

"For  a  time  I  wanted  to  close  my  house,  as  I  don't 
entertain  since  my  husband  died,  but  now  that  I  am 
blessed  with  good  domestics  I  feel  it  is  better  to  remain." 

"It  was  your  husband's  advice  to  each  one,  to  treat 
you  like  they  would  their  own  mother,  as  he  could  reach 
them  and  love  you  through  them." 

"That  is  a  wonderful  arrangement  from  the  Father 
to  let  our  loved  ones  come  back  and  help  us.  Now,  Mrs. 
Delien,"  said  the  lady,  "I  wonder  if  you  would  come  to 
my  house  one  evening  a  week  and  give  us  a  sitting?  It 
would  mean  a  great  deal  of  comfort  to  me,  and  I  would 
sit  with  my  help  and  you. ' ' 

"Why,  madam!  Those  were  the  words  your  husband 
said  to  the  housekeeper  the  other  day  when  she  asked 
him  if  it  was  wise  to  tell  you  about  her  communing  with 
departed  ones.  He  said  that  before  a  month  had  passed 
you  would  have  a  circle  of  your  own. ' ' 


240  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"I  am  glad  he  approves  of  it,"  said  the  lady,  smiling. 

"Indeed  he  does.  Why,  it  was  his  wish,"  said  the 
medium,  happily.  Thus  a  lonely  life  was  made  happy,  by 
going  with  the  Woman  to  the  unfortunate  to  render  help. 
Many  a  warm  blanket  was  purchased  to  cover  the  thin 
bodies  of  the  poor.  There  was  another  record  on  God's 
great  register  each  day  of  a  good  deed  added  which  lev- 
eled out  the  great  heights  and  low,  despairing  valleys. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

THE  JUDAS  OF  TODAY 

One  evening  at  a  sitting  all  the  domestics,  the  madam 
and  medium  were  assembled  in  the  luxurious  boudoir  of 
the  owner.  The  place  was  darkened,  but  on  the  head  of 
the  madam  rested  a  golden  light,  which  rose  to  the  ceiling 
and  then  returned.  With  eager  eyes  the  happy  domestics 
told  their  lady  how  wonderful  the  light  was. 

"It  is  the  golden  beam  of  good  deeds,"  said  a  voice. 
"Each  good  deed  makes  a  golden  vein  and  gold  radiates, 
making  halos  around  the  heads  of  gentle  givers.  We 
make  this  out  of  the  sunny  smiles  the  madam  creates 
among  the  earners  for  bread.  Keep  this  up ;  it  is  far  bet- 
ter to  hold  them  close  in  sweet  communion  and  each  one 
of  you  is  represented  in  spirit.  Some  were  poor  in  life 
and  are  rich  in  spirit,  because  they  died  without  a  habit 
and  therefore  were  released.  Habit  makes  a  soul  earth- 
bound.  The  desire  is  too  great  and  must  remain  to  sat- 
isfy, but  if  they  can  come  into  a  gathering  of  this  kind 
they  meet  the  high  guides  that  help  them  overcome." 

"Those  are  good  lessons,"  said  the  madam,  "and  I 
hope  my  children  here  will  benefit  by  them." 

"That's  one  for  you,  John,"  said  the  housekeeper  to 
the  butler;  "I  saw  you  smoke  a  cigarette  in  the  garden 
the  other  day." 

"Yes,"  said  John,  "I  am  trying  hard  to  overcome 
that  habit,  and  have  cut  down  from  a  package  a  day  to 
two  cigarettes,  one  after  lunch  and  one  after  dinner,  and 
then  I  go  out  so  that  the  smoke  doesn't  affect  me  so 
much." 

"I  am  very  glad,  John,  my  boy,  that  you  are  trying, 
but  if  it  gives  you  comfort  then  keep  on  smoking  your 
two  a  day  until  you  feel  like  giving  up  without  effort.  I 
have  noticed  when  you  were  serving  that  your  fingers 
have  lost  the  yellow  stain ;  that  is  fine ;  it  makes  me  feel 
better  and  gives  me  more  of  an  appetite." 

"Oh,  madam,  I  am  so  glad  I  can  please  you,"  said 
John,  "and  perhaps  in  a  week  or  so  I  will  give  up 


242  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

entirely."  Here  the  husband's  spirit  broke  in,  and  said 
that  he  himself  had  to  use  John  to  get  his  habitual  smoke, 
but  that  he  could  soon  get  over  it. 

"I  really  like  the  smell  of  a  good  cigar,"  said  the 
madam. 

"And  I,"  joined  in  the  husband;  "you  have  a  box  of 
cigars  put  away  among  my  things,  and  I  want  John  to 
smoke  them  up  with  me ;  then  we  quit.  John  does  not 
buy  good  ones,  as  he  has  had  to  send  his  earnings  home 
to  England  since  his  brothers  fell  in  battle." 

"You  are  well  posted,"  said  the  wife. 

"I  am,  my  dear,  and  John's  brothers  are  both  here. 
They  are  a  hungry  bunch,  so  Nina  it  is  well  you  prepared 
a  lunch  after  the  sitting." 

"Thank  you,  dear  spirit,"  said  the  cook,  "I  am  very 
anxious  to  please  the  body  and  soul." 

"That  is  right;  if  the  masses  would  think  more  of 
the  soul  than  the  body,  it  would  make  the  world  a  much 
happier  one.  Isn't  that  so?"  he  said  addressing  his  wife. 

"Yes,  George  dear,  I  am  a  different  person  since  I 
feel  you  are  not  altogether  gone.  I  don't  even  miss  your 
body  any  more." 

"Well,  I  am  glad  you  put  away  that  crepe  stuff;  it 
made  my  soul  feel  creepy.  Why  mourn  for  something 
that  must  be  ?  It  is  a  law  the  Father  made ;  He  changes 
only  our  garments  and  sorrows,  then  the  foolish  peo- 
ple weep  and  blame  God." 

"It  is  contrary  to  habit,  dear  George,"  said  the  wife. 

"If  people  would  think  out  their  own  ways  of  radi- 
ating happiness,  instead  of  serving  at  the  altar  of  custom, 
it  would  be  better  all  around,"  continued  George.  "I 
am  so  happy  that  you  are  progressing,  for  after  awhile 
you  will  not  have  a  medium  to  help  you ;  then  it  will  be 
hard  for  us  to  communicate ;  but  if  you  sit  regularly  you 
will  all  see  for  yourselves,  and  we  can  keep  our  little  sta- 
tion open." 

"Why  can't  we  keep  the  medium?"  asked  the  mis- 
tress, much  concerned. 

' '  It  lies  in  the  law  of  Providence ;  someone  is  plotting 
against  her  and  is  trying  hard  to  take  her  liberty." 


THE  JUDAS  OF  TODAY  243 

"I  know  who  that  is,"  said  Nina,  "she  told  me  when 
I  left  her  that  she  would  do  it." 

' '  Yes, ' '  said  the  employer  in  spirit,  ' '  the  report  came 
in  but  we  made  the  detective  lose  the  address;  some 
Indian  spirit  took  it  right  out  of  her  hand;  let  him  tell 
you." 

The  voice  changed ;  a  strong,  guttural  voice  was  talk- 
ing: "He  called  the  medium  squaw,  and  said  if  two 
women  came  and  pretended  they  were  in  trouble,  one 
short,  stout,  blonde  hair  on  top,  and  dark  at  the  root,  the 
other  a  tall,  dark,  thin  woman,  with  a  small  animal  skin 
around  the  neck,  you  watch  out;  they  look  to  get  her. 
Then  another  will  try  and  say  they  are  lace-makers." 

"Can't  you  help?"  asked  the  lady  in  a  worried  tone. 

"Sure,"  came  the  powerful  answer.  "Every  time 
they  come  in,  I  will  draw  a  curtain ;  then  she  will  not  get 
the  message." 

"Do  that,"  said  the  kind  lady.  Then  the  sitting 
closed.  When  the  refreshments  were  being  served  the 
lady  told  the  medium  to  be  careful  and  impressed  on  her 
mind  the  appearance  of  the  two  assigned  for  the  me- 
dium's arrest. 

"Some  day  I  will  have  to  go  to  jail,"  said  the 
Woman  fearlessly;  "I  always  felt  that  I  would  and 
prayed  that  God  would  prevent  it  until  Konile  was  old 
enough  to  shift  for  herself." 

"Now,  my  dear,"  said  the  good  lady,  "always  feel 
that  you  have  a  friend  in  me ;  never  hesitate  to  call  on 
me,  for  I  feel  that  money  alone  cannot  pay  for  all  the 
good  you  have  brought  into  my  life.  It  must  be  a  friendly 
deed  to  cooperate  with  your  help.  Ronile  will  always  find 
a  home  with  me,  if  you  should  ever  be  compelled  to  give 
up  your  home  for  awhile.  I  don't  see  why  you  should, 
though,  for  what  you  do  is  not  against  the  law.  You 
don't  make  any  charge,  and  you  don't  predict,  so  I  don't 
see  what  harm  can  come  out  of  such  good  work." 

"But,  my  dear  madam,  why  was  Christ  put  in  prison? 
The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  were  His  enemies.  They  do 
not  want  the  truth  and  make  laws  to  prosecute  the  trans- 
mitter." 


244  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Cannot  a  law  be  made  to  protect  the  medium?" 

"Yes,  they  have  the  church  and  if  I  take  out  a  char- 
ter as  a  reverend,  I  can  call  it  a  church." 

"Then  why  don't  you  take  out  a  charter?" 

"I  differ  too  much  in  my  views  and  I  don't  like  to 
be  on  the  platform.  They  don't  like  me  because  I  don't 
charge  a  fee,  and  therefore  I  cannot  be  classed  as  one  of 
them.  I  serve  the  Father  after  the  mold  He  made  for  me. 
He  wishes  me  to  work  this  way,  otherwise  He  would  not 
let  me  serve  for  the  good  will  only." 

"He  will  protect  you,  I  know,"  said  the  lady,  "and 
if  you  ever  need  a  friend  call  on  me  any  time."  Thus 
they  parted  with  light  and  heavy  hearts  mingled  with 
suspense  and  contentment  in  having  a  friend  in  need. 
The  Father  arranges  all  things  so  well  that  when  one 
door  closes  another  opens. 

The  spirit  of  George  was  right,  for  one  day  the  two 
ladies  described  stood  at  the  door,  begging  to  have  their 
fortunes  told. 

"You  are  in  the  wrong  place,"  said  the  Woman;  "I 
am  not  a  fortune-teller." 

"What  are  you?"  asked  the  stout  one,  with  piercing 
eyes. 

"I  am  just  I,  who  know  that  you  are  after  my  free- 
dom, but  God  created  both  you  and  me  for  a  purpose — 
we  each  serve  our  mission  assigned  to  us  by  Fate.  There- 
fore, the  Father  gave  me  the  warning  to  see  that  you  are 
meaning  to  do  me  harm ;  that  is  why  you  must  resort  to 
cards  and  have  your  fortunes  told."  Thus  she  gently 
closed  the  door,  a  weakness  overcoming  her.  She  heard 
the  ladies  go  next  door  and  ask  the  lady  when  the  Woman 
held  her  seances. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  the  other  and  slammed  the 
door.  "Why  do  all  these  people  bother  me?"  she  said  as 
she  walked  along  the  hall;  "I  don't  see  what  harm  this 
Woman  does,  and  every  day  someone  is  here  trying  to 
get  evidence  to  put  her  in  jail." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 
THE  LIGHTHOUSE  BY  THE   SEA  OF  LIFE 

When  Ronile  came  from  school  she  told  her  mother 
that  a  suspicious-looking  man  was  at  the  switchboard. 

"Mother,  the  superintendent  asked  me  to  tell  you 
that  the  police  are  watching  the  house,  and  that  you 
should  stop  helping  people,  otherwise  you  will  be  in  dan- 
ger," she  said  nervously. 

"Everybody  is  in  danger,  more  or  less,  dear,"  said 
the  mother.  "Danger  of  temptation  is  far  greater  than 
that  of  risking  your  freedom  in  doing  good." 

"Let  us  move,  mother  dear,  we  will  have  trouble  if 
v.  o  stay, ' '  Ronile  said  as  she  handed  her  mother  some 
mail. 

One  letter  was  postmarked  "Fort  George,  Windsor, 
N.  S.,  Canada,"  and  read: 
' '  My  Dear  Mrs.  Delien : — 

"It  certainly  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  avail 
myself  of  the  favorable  opportunity  to  write  you  a 
few  lines,  detailing  a  few  of  the  incidents  of  camp 
life.  I  came  here  four  days  after  saying  good-by  to 
you  (as  you  said).  I  am  working  in  the  office,  pro- 
gressing very  well,  but  I  have  suffered  fearfully  from 
vaccination  and  inoculations,  which  of  course  are 
routine  of  army  discipline,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  I 
am  over  it  all  and  feel  perfectly  fine  now.  There  is 
a  wonderful  lot  of  material  in  the  camp  for  me,  and 
you  may  be  sure  I  shall  make  use  of  it  in  proper 
time. 

"One  thing,  however,  I  must  say,  and  that  is 
that  the  officers  here  are  really  delightful.  I  seem 
to  do  just  as  I  please  and  am  very  well  thought  of. 
But  I  can  assure  you  there  never  lived  a  more  dis- 
gusted and  forlorn  man  in  the  world  than  myself 
during  the  first  week.  First  the  inoculations,  one  of 
which  made  me  unconscious  for  some  time ;  and  then 
having  to  sleep  on  the  ground;  then  the  food,  which 
was  distasteful  to  me ;  really  I  cared  little  whether  I 


246  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

lived  or  not.  Oh,  how  I  thought  of  Job  and  how 
pleased  he  felt  when  it  was  all  over!  Really  his  life 
has  been  mine,  for  now  I  am  perfectly  well  and 
happy. 

"The  weather  here  is  dreadful,  wet  and  gloomy 
and  cold  sometimes,  and  we  already  have  frost.  I 
think  of  you  every  day  and  pray  for  you.  Words 
cannot  tell  how  much  you  have  made  me  love  my 
prayers.  After  believing  there  was  no  hereafter,  you 
called  me,  in  a  few  minutes,  back  to  God  and  my 
beloved  Jesus,  which  tempers  the  mind;  and  again 
the  army  training  has  made  my  body  perfect,  so  you 
can  imagine  the  change.  Yes,  my  dear  sister,  I  shall 
return  to  New  York  and  have  my  first  visit  with  you. 
Somehow  I  feel  the  presence  of  my  dear  wife  with 
me  every  night.  Would  that  I  could  see  her  and 
speak  to  her  as  you  do  because  I  do  love  her  so  much. 

"Next  week  we  expect  to  embark  for  Europe, 
but  we  have  been  delayed  twice.  We  were  all  ready 
last  week  and  then  we  were  marched  back  to  our 
tents.  Now  I  am  really  wondering  whether  we  shall 
go  at  all.  Have  you,  my  dear  lady,  heard  from  the 
boys  that  went  ahead  of  me?  I  shall  be  very  glad 
indeed  to  have  a  few  lines  from  you  telling  me  how 
you  have  been  since  I  last  saw  you.  Your  test  gave 
me  courage.  I  do  not  in  the  least  fear  death  and  for 
that  very  reason  I  feel  very  happy. 

"Every  word  you  have  told  me  came  true.  How 
then  can  I  refuse  to  believe  what  you  told  me  about 
our  dear  Lord  and  my  beloved  wife?  A  medium 
seems  to  me  a  lighthouse  by  the  sea  of  life,  although 
before  I  met  you  I  could  have  burned  them  at  the 
stake.  'Oh,  God,  forgive  me  for  past  sins.'  I  am 
really  wondering  whether  I  shall  go  to  England, 
although  for  myself  I  should  like  to  go,  but  God 
attends  to  those  things. 

"Now  please  don't  forget  to  pray  for  me  for  you 
are  a  master-mind  that  helps  and  I  shall  never  forget 
to  pray  for  you  no  matter  where  I  shall  be.  I  must 
soon  conclude  this  letter  as  my  head  is  not  yet  clear 


LIGHTHOUSE  BY  THE  SEA  OF  LIFE        247 

from  the  deadly  suffering  which  it  has  undergone 
since  I  arrived,  but  I  shall  soon  write  more  details 
of  our  life  here. 

"I  will  conclude  this  letter,  wishing  from  my 
heart  that  you  shall  always  be  happy  and  secure 
while  sojourning  upon  this  earth.     Good-by,  till  we 
meet  again  and  don't  forget  that  prayer. 
"Very  respectfully  yours, 

"A.  Loomis. " 

When  the  Woman  had  finished  the  letter,  which  she 
had  read  to  Ronile,  she  looked  up  at  her  daughter,  expect- 
ing her  to  say  something  in  regard  to  the  letter. 

Ronile 's  thoughts,  however,  seemed  to  dwell  in  the 
distance,  then  she  said,  "Oh,  that  is  the  man  who  came 
with  a  lot  of  soldiers  and  wanted  you  to  prove  to  him  that 
there  was  a  God." 

"Then  he  believes  that  there  is  one,"  said  the 
mother,  thoughtfully.  "See,  dear,  you  say  to  give  up 
this  work  and  go  away.  I  may  have  to  resort  to  sewing 
to  earn  our  living,  just  to  decorate  a  body,  when  we  can 
decorate  God's  great  altar  with  lost  sons  and  daughters. 
This  man  is  a  writer  and  his  books  are  being  read  by 
minds  in  the  balance.  His  literature  may  just  give  them 
the  last  push  that  knocks  them  off  the  pedestal  of  faith 
into  an  abyss  of  unbelief  and  darkness.  No,  I  will  risk 
my  freedom  for  this  glorious  work!  What  is  a  cell  and 
bars  to  rescuing  a  soul  like  this  that  in  ignorance  tears 
apart  the  church  carefully  built  in  faith  and  worship !  It 
is  no  more  fair  to  God  to  criticise  any  of  His  houses  than 
it  is  to  kill  the  man  who  doesn't  speak  the  same  language. 
The  Father  has  installed  these  stations  of  worship  for  a 
purpose  and  He  wishes  them  to  be  respected.  Always 
remember  that  and  never  look  down  on  anybody  for  what 
they  practice  or  how  they  worship.  You  can  drive  a 
learned  person  more  quickly  to  degeneration  than  a  sav- 
age, remember  that.  Too  much  artificial  tinsel  leads  them 
to  the  broad  staircase  where  they  don't  watch  each  step. 
A  house  that  is  being  built  must  be  started  at  the  bottom ; 
without  foundation  it  cannot  stand;  it  grows  in  height 
by  having  each  stone  or  board  carefully  added  and  then 


248  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

when  the  storms  come  it  can  hold  out  against  them.  I 
built  you  on  a  careful  foundation;  each  day  was  a  page 
on  your  record  of  time  added  in  faith  and  wholesome- 
ness. 

"This  is  only  a  storm  like  many  more  about  to  come ; 
it  will  hiss  in  a  human  hurricane  about  us.  A  pine  tree 
seldom  falls  from  wind  and  storm.  Its  needles  are  ever 
green.  Let  us  then  feel  like  the  pine — that  we  must  serve 
our  mission  even  if  cut  down.  We  will  then  enhance  the 
departed  if  not  the  living,  who  will  decorate  us  for  the 
birth  of  a  Saviour  in  bringing  home  a  lost  soul.  Each 
deed  we  do  will  be  transformed  into  a  crystal  and  deco- 
rate our  tree  of  life.  We  have  as  many  silent  helpers  as 
the  pine  tree  has  needles.  Even  if  death  by  man  should 
come,  it  will  mean  a  new  life  to  us,  dear ;  a  life  so  glorious 
for  we  will  not  have  to  return  and  live  our  life  over  if 
we  do  our  best  now  in  serving  the  Father,  the  Son  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  through  man,  by  reminding  them  that 
power  doesn't  all  come  from  the  jingle  of  gold.  The 
sound  of  church  bells  such  as  I  heard  in  Europe  drove 
me  into  the  highest  state  of  ecstasy,  and  such  a  sensation 
is  wonderful  I ' ' 

"I  know,"  said  Ronile,  as  she  laid  her  hand  on  her 
mother's  shoulder.  "Just  think  how  beautiful  the  chimes 
sound  from  the  church  down  here  on  Amsterdam  Ave- 
nue." 

"People  can't  help  but  follow  the  sounds  of  words 
as  they  ring  out  and  reach  God  and  man — 'Abide  with 
me, '  and  so  many  others.  We  are  n»t  afraid,  dear,  for  we 
are  serving  the  greatest  Master  that  ever  was  or  ever 
will  be.  If  a  master  has  a  servant  who  is  ill  at  the  plow, 
he  will  not  care  about  the  field  or  seed;  he  will  nurse  him 
to  health;  or  if  danger  should  threaten,  the  master  will 
furnish  arms  to  protect  his  servants.  Our  Master,  dear, 
gives  us  arms  of  enlightenment,  like  a  wand  that  brings 
the  fairies  to  the  afflicted  and  carries  them  out  of  a  dark- 
ened, suppressed  condition  to  a  higher  aspect,  where  they 
are  entertained  by  seraphic  whispers  and  angelic  songs 
and  rhythm." 

"Yes,  mother  dear,  I  know  and  hope  the  angels  will 


''Dear  Lord,"  cried  Ronile,  "we  have  hard  times  enough,  and  mother 
just  wanted  to  please  you.  Why  don't  you  send  an  earthquake  and  crush 
everything?  I  don't  want  to  live  in  this  miserable  world  any  more." 

— Page  284. 


LIGHTHOUSE  BY  THE  SEA  OF  LIFE        249 

keep  you  out  of  prison.  I  pray  every  night  that  you  will 
be  spared,  for  once  I  dreamed  that  you  were  put  in  jail, 
but  I  did  not  want  to  tell  you." 

"It  does  not  worry  me,  Ronile;  if  it  lies  in  my  des- 
tiny it  cannot  be  avoided,  and  the  Father  will  have  a  pur- 
pose that  might  free  thousands  of  jailed  souls  through 
one  confined  body.  All  great  prophets  were  cast  into 
prison.  Look  at  dear  Joan  of  Arc.  After  she  freed  her 
people  through  the  voice  of  God  they  jailed  her  as  a 
witch  and  turned  her  over  to  the  enemy.  But  her  death 
at  the  stake  made  a  transfiguration,  a  symbol  of  power  in 
faith,  which  made  her  live  in  the  minds  of  coming  gener- 
ations as  a  star  that  guides  them.  They  needed  that  star 
and  the  fire  of  sacrifice  is  condensed  to  a  star  that  rests  on 
the  brow  of  the  victim  and  shines  forth  into  the  darkness 
of  conditions.  The  more  you  suffer,  the  greater  your 
light  will  be.  The  light  on  your  brow  counts  more  than 
all  the  wealth  of  kings  and  millionaires.  It  is  your  fore- 
sight; you  can  see  right  through  them  and  that  is  why 
mediums  are  not  tolerated  by  scribes ;  they  see  too  much." 

The  bell  rang  and  Ronile  went  to  answer,  then  called 
her  mother.  It  was  the  lady  who  lived  next  door. 

' '  Say ! ' '  she  said  in  a  half -whisper,  as  the  Woman 
approached  the  door,  "I  have  a  friend  here  from  up-state 
and  she  is  very  much  interested  in  spiritualism ;  can  you 
give  her  a  reading?" 

"Let  her  come  in,"  said  the  Woman. 

"May  Ronile  come  over  a  minute?  My  daughter 
just  came  from  school  and  I  want  her  to  see  Ronile.  That 
child  wants  high-heeled  shoes  and  powder  on  her  face 
already." 

"All  right,"  said  the  Woman,  with  a  glance  at 
Ronile,  which  Ronile  well  understood,  meaning  that  she 
was  not  to  stay  too  long. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

AT  THE  THEESHOLD  OF  SELFISHNESS,  OE  TEMPTATION 
WHEEE  CAUTION  GUAEDS 

Then  they  entered  the  test-room,  and  before  they  sat 
down  the  Woman  said:  "You  want  information,  not 
enlightenment.  I  can  only  advise  you,  madam,"  and  con- 
tinuing she  said,  "The  man  you  came  with  is  a  married 
man  and  there  is  a  baby  crying  for  her  daddy."  Then 
they  sat  down,  a  reproachful  look  coming  over  the  face 
of  the  medium.  "You  don't  have  to  do  that  for  bread  or 
diversion,  for  fortune  has  favored  you  abundantly.  You 
have  a  kind  and  generous  husband  who  keeps  warm  the 
fireside  of  your  estate,  and  thinks  you  are  here  consulting 
a  physician." 

"You  are  right,  there,"  said  the  stranger  with  a 
smile  at  the  straight  way  the  medium  was  reaching  her. 

"This  is  the  first  time  in  your  life  that  you  have 
attempted  such  a  step,  therefore,  God  gives  you  a  warn- 
ing in  time.  Remember  that  when  a  man  leaves  a  wife 
and  child  for  one  who  is  old  enough  to  be  his  mother,  it 
will  be  only  for  a  short  time.  Your  youth  and  vitality 
are  gone,  your  kidneys  are  in  bad  shape  and  your  liver, 
too,  and  you  know  it.  You  are  likely  to  have  a  stroke 
and  suppose  it  should  surprise  you  at  a  hotel  where  you 
were  registered  as  another  man 's  wife,  and  your  faithful 
husband  should  read  about  it?" 

Here  the  stranger  covered  her  face  with  her  jeweled 
hands  and  began  to  sob,  "He  would  never  forgive  me." 

"No,  he  would  not,  for  he  has  been  living  truthfully 
in  the  thirty  years  of  your  married  life,  and  would  feel 
that  you  had  deceived  him  all  that  time;  his  faith  in 
womankind  would  fall  like  a  mammoth  tower,  built  in 
faith  with  stones  of  love  and  devotion,  and  crush  him." 

"I  know  it  would  kill  him,"  said  the  disloyal  wife. 

"Another  thing  of  vital  importance  is  that  your  son 
is  married  and  has  two  children.  You  never  liked  his 
wife,  their  mother,  because  she  was  a  poor  school  teacher. 


AT  THE  THRESHOLD  OF  SELFISHNESS      251 

You  had  chosen  a  bride  who  had  grooms  and  footmen  and 
tendencies  like  your  own." 

"I  know,"  came  the  answer,  "she  would  never  have 
made  such  a  good  wife,  for  she  has  already  been  divorced 
twice." 

"Then  you  ought  to  sympathize  and  not  blame  your 
husband,  if  he  longs  to  see  his  son's  family.  You  call  him 
common  for  wanting  to  be  around  that  family,  but  you 
must  see  that  it  is  wholesome  and  clean-cut  refinement  on 
both  sides." 

' '  Well,  I  was  not  inclined  to  have  my  son  marry ;  he 
was  hardly  out  of  college,  and  it  interfered  with  his 
career ;  a  mother  always  wants  the  best  for  her  children, ' ' 
said  the  lady. 

"Judging  from  your  standpoint,  madam,  you  thought 
money  was  the  best  advancement  he  could  have.  You 
never  thought  of  the  moral  drawbacks  if  he  married  just 
for  money.  Your  son  is  a  prominent  lawyer  and  his  wife 
and  children  are  respected  people ;  they  live  a  perfect  life 
of  harmony  and  love.  Such  things  no  money  can  buy. 
How  would  your  son  feel  if  he  knew  about  this  case? 
His  career  would  crumble  and  vanish  into  dust  that 
would  choke  even  his  children  and  drive  them  away  like 
hounded  deer.  They  would  eat  your  weakness  on  every 
bit  of  bread  and  their  mother  would  take  the  picture  (in 
front  of  which  your  son  holds  his  babies  and  tells  them 
what  a  saint  dear  grandmother  is)  and  burn  it  in  shame. 
Such  are  the  consequences  of  one  single  sin,  madam, 
remember  that."  Seeing  the  lady's  heart  stirred,  the 
medium  felt  she  had  said  enough  and  summoned  the 
departed. 

A  minister  came,  her  husband's  father,  telling  her 
of  his  mission  as  a  herder  of  souls;  that  he  followed  her 
and  before  harm  was  done  he  wanted  the  soul  to  conquer 
over  the  body  and  bury  the  weakness  of  sin.  A  little  girl 
came  and  told  her  mother  how  long  she  had  been  in  spirit 
and  that  her  name  was  Myrtle. 

"Oh,  my  baby,"  said  the  erring  mother,  "I  don't 
want  you  to  look  into  my  wicked  face.  I  am  so  ashamed! 


252  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

I  shall  never  be  able  to  look  anyone  in  the  face  again," 
she  sobbed  anew. 

"No,  mama  dear,"  said  the  sweet  voice,  "you  have 
not  done  any  harm  yet.  We  were  just  in  time  to  check 
you  from  sin.  See,  mama,  I  would  have  to  register  all  the 
tears  of  the  little  girl  and  weep  with  her  because  it  was 
my  mother  who  took  her  daddy.  Mama,  will  you  make 
me  happy,  really,  truly  happy?" 

"Indeed  I  will,"  came  the  distressed,  stammering 
answer. 

"Go  and  buy  some  things  for  baby  and  Myrtle,  your 
grandchildren.  I  am  the  baby's  namesake  and  must  look 
out  for  her  happiness.  Then  buy  a  present  for  each  of 
our  family.  That  will  help  you  get  over  the  mistake  and, 
mama,  please  go  before  the  doctor  comes  back." 

"Do  you  think  it  is  better?" 

"It  is  not  only  better,  it  is  the  thing  to  do,  mama,  the 
honest  thing  to  do.  Good-by.  God  help  and  bless  you, 
mama  dear."  Thus  the  sweet  voice  vanished. 

Another  man's  voice  came  next. 

"I  am  Harold's  father,"  he  said.  "I  mortgaged  my 
farm  to  help  that  boy  study  medicine.  His  mother  found 
an  early  end  in  body  because  she  helped  in  the  wet  fields 
and  contracted  pneumonia  and  died.  We  felt  great  pride 
in  him  and  rejoiced  when  he  married  a  dressmaker,  who 
sewed  to  help  him  get  a  foothold.  She  did  that  for  eight 
years,  then  God  gave  them  a  child  and  now  that  child 
needs  a  stem  to  climb  upon  and  you  took  it,  and  left  the 
plant  to  creep  on  the  ground  for  others  to  step  on. ' ' 

"I  don't  want  your  son,"  said  the  lady  with  a  shud- 
der; "please  may  I  go?  I  don't  want  to  hear  any  more." 

"I  am  sorry,  madam,"  said  the  medium,  with  feeling. 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad  I  came  to  see  you;  I  am  going  back 
home.  God  help  me  and  forgive  me,"  she  said  as  she 
went  out  wringing  her  hands. 

Soon  Ronile  came  back  and  said  the  lady  had  just 
gone,  and  the  neighbor  wondered  what  was  said  to  her. 

"She  should  wonder  about  her  own  life,"  said  the 
Woman.  "Has  her  daughter  been  dismissed  from  school 
again?" 


AT  THE  THRESHOLD  OF  SELFISHNESS      253 

"Yes,  mother;  she  smuggled  rouge  into  the  convent 
and  the  Sisters  sent  her  home." 

"Poor  girl,"  said  the  Woman.  "You  see,  dear,  her 
mother  takes  the  easiest  way  and  the  gentlemen  that 
come  there  may  have  daughters  of  their  own  and  feel  a 
slight  sting  of  conscience ;  therefore,  the  poor  girl  had  to 
go,  yet  the  environment  went  with  hei  as  the  tuition  is 
paid  with  tainted  money  and  no  good  will  come  out  of  it. 
Ronile, ' '  said  her  mother  looking  straight  into  the  eyes  of 
her  daughter,  "you  are  almost  as  big  as  I  am;  you  are 
old  enough  to  know  and  take  a  lesson  from  the  life  of  our 
neighbor  and  the  consequences  of  her  child.  She  is  so 
young  and  beautiful  and  still  the  gates  of  wholesomeness 
are  beginning  to  close  on  her.  It  is  too  bad." 

"Why  did  the  lady  leave  so  soon,  mother  dear?  She 
hardly  said  good-by,"  asked  Ronile. 

"She  was  just  about  to  make  a  misstep,"  answered 
the  mother,  "and  received  a  warning.  If  I  had  not  been 
here  the  forces  could  not  have  reached  her,  and  she  would 
have  disgraced  her  whole  family  and  ruined  her  own 
life." 

After  awhile  the  neighbor  wished  to  have  a  test  held 
for  herself,  saying  she  had  never  had  any  use  for  it ;  that 
that  lady  from  up-state  was  really  not  a  friend ;  that  she 
and  her  husband  wanted  to  stay  with  her  until  he  had  a 
practice. 

"Their  lives  don't  bother  us;  we  have  all  we  can 
carry  of  our  own  sins,"  said  the  medium. 

"I  know,"  the  neighbor  said.  "Flossy  is  home  again, 
and  I  don't  know  where  to  put  her,"  she  kept  on  wearily; 
' '  she  is  good  for  nothing. ' ' 

"What  lesson  does  she  get  from  her  mother?"  asked 
the  Woman  sincerely.  "Her  place  is  with  you,  and  God 
has  other  work  for  you,  handy  as  you  are.  It  is  easy  to 
take  the  easiest  way,  but  hard  to  keep  on  the  road  the 
toilers  tread  and  enjoy  their  privileges  in  life.  If  the 
good  Creator  did  not  want  you  to  have  the  child,  she 
would  have  been  placed  in  some  other  home,  but  if  you 
take  this  road  you  must  also  take  the  consequences." 


254  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"What  else  can  I  do?"  asked  the  neighbor;  "I  want 
to  give  Flossy  a  good  education,  and  that  costs  money." 

"Is  Ronile  lacking  in  education?" 

"No,"  answered  the  neighbor,  "I  wish  Flossy  was 
as  well  educated.  I  always  tell  her  to  take  an  example 
from  Eonile.  How  ladylike  she  is  and  everybody  treats 
her  like  a  queen." 

"Do  you  know  why?"  asked  the  Woman.  "She  re- 
spects herself;  that  is  the  greatest  and  most  important 
of  all  traits,  'Self-respect.'  A  piece  of  dry  bread  and  tea 
will  taste  better  than  an  eight-course  dinner  that  robs 
you  of  your  self-respect.  Life  is  all  a  hollow  bubble,  a 
beautifully  decorated  shell.  A  small  bit  of  lead  can  pene- 
trate that  shell  and  break  it,  causing  life  to  ooze  out  in 
one  second ;  then  a  few  days  later  that  body  is  fit  for  the 
worms,  and  must  be  buried  deep  down.  Think  of  that! 
No  matter  how  highly  educated  or  wealthy  that  body 
was,  there  was  no  escape  from  death,  but  the  soul  that 
left  the  body  reaps  the  seeds  of  glory  in  the  field  of  good 
'deeds,  or  enters  the  chasm  of  despair  to  pay  for  the  pen- 
alty of  sins." 

"God  doesn't  condemn  all  prostitutes,"  said  the 
neighbor.  "Did  not  Christ  say,  'Let  him  who  is  without 
sin  cast  the  first  stone  at  her '  ? " 

"But  that  courtesan  had  already  had  enough  punish- 
ment in  being  dragged  through  the  streets  by  sinners, 
perhaps  worse  than  she  was." 

"Look  at  Mary  Magdalene,"  said  the  other;  "Christ 
made  her  a  saint. ' ' 

"When  she  gave  up  her  sinful  life,"  said  the  medium, 
"and  washed  the  Saviour's  feet  with  tears  of  remorse, 
then  dried  them  with  her  beautiful  hair  that  was  her  sole 
pride,  just  to  show  how  humble  she  was. ' ' 

"A  friend  of  mine  has  joined  the  Science  Church;  I 
guess  I  will  do  that,  too, ' '  said  the  neighbor. 

"Will  you  give  up  your  mode  of  living  when  you 
join  that  church?" 

"I  don't  know,"  said  the  other,  with  a  worried  look; 
"how  can  I  make  a  living?" 

"What  did  you  do  before  you  sold  yourself?" 

"I  was  a  waitress." 


AT  THE  THRESHOLD  OF  SELFISHNESS      255 

"Can't  you  go  back  to  that  work,  or  make  lingerie? 
I  can  help  you  sell  it.  Then  you  can  rent  out  some  of 
your  rooms  to  pay  the  rent  and  keep  your  daughter  with 
you.  She  makes  beautiful  things  the  Sisters  taught  her. 
God  will  help  you  if  you  only  try;  I  know  He  always 
helps  us." 

"Yes,  but  look  at  the  hunted  life  you  live.  I'd 
sooner  be  dead  than  to  feel  with  every  ring  of  the  door- 
bell it  might  be  a  warrant  for  arrest,"  said  the  neighbor. 

"I  don't  feel  that  way,"  said  the  Woman  calmly; 
"my  conscience  is  clear,  because  I  serve  a  Power  greater 
than  all  the  judges  on  earth,  and  He  has  a  reason  if  ever 
the  time  comes." 

"One  day  last  week,"  said  the  neighbor,  "there  were 
two  gentlemen  in  my  apartment  all  day,  who  were  sent 
here  to  watch  you." 

"Why,  they  could  have  come  in  because  my  door  is 
always  open,  you  know  that,"  said  the  medium. 

After  the  test,  Ronile  announced  a  gentleman. 

"Oh,  this  is  the  doctor,"  said  the  neighbor,  and  turn- 
ing to  him  she  said,  "Your  wife  left  here  to  go  home." 

"So  Flossy  tells  me,"  said  the  gentleman.  "Did  she 
leave  any  message  for  me  ? ' ' 

"No,  but  come  over  to  my  rooms;  I  want  to  talk  to 
you,"  and  they  left.  After  awhile  the  neighbor  asked  if 
the  doctor  could  see  Mrs.  Delien. 

"Come  right  in,"  said  the  Woman,  "as  I  will  be  busy 
after  two  o'clock." 

"Are  you  a  medium?"  he  asked. 

"I  am,"  came  the  reply. 

"Did  you  give  my  wife  a  test?" 

"No,  I  did  not." 

"But  she  was  here  to  see  you  and  left  suddenly,"  he 
said  losing  his  temper  for  a  minute. 

"Your  wife,  sir,  is  too  far  away,  she  could  not  see 
me,  but  there  was  a  lady  who  asked  to  see  me  who  was  a 
married  woman  and  who  went  home  to  her  husband." 

He  thought  a  moment,  perplexed  and  said:  "That's 
curious.  Did  she  say  anything  at  all  about  us?" 

"No,  she  had  no  chance." 


256  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"But  how  do  you  come  to  know  we  are  not  man  and 
wife?" 

"Her  husband's  father,  a  minister,  and  her  departed 
child,  Myrtle,  told  me." 

He  looked  at  the  Woman  amazed,  saying,  "That's 
right,  she  had  a  daughter  by  that  name,"  and  sitting 
down,  he  said,  "Do  you  see  anything  for  me?" 

"I  see  a  woman  standing  by  a  window,  facing  the 
east,"  here  the  medium  stroked  her  brow  and  kept  on. 
' '  She  weeps  as  she  draws  the  curtain  to  shut  out  the  light, 
then  goes  to  the  crib  of  a  child  that  is  to  take  a  nap  and 
weeps.  The  child  puts  her  arms  around  the  mother's 
neck  and  says,  'Don't  cry,  mother  dear,  daddy  surely 
will  come  home  for  dinner.'  " 

"How  does  the  child  look?"  he  asked  sharply. 

"Blonde  curls  and  brown  eyes,  your  eyes  and  her 
mother's  hair." 

"What  is  the  child's  name?" 

"Millie  Elizabeth." 

"By  Jove,"  came  the  remark. 

"Millie  is  after  your  wife's  mother  and  Elizabeth 
after  your  own.  They  are  both  departed  and  here."  The 
Woman  gave  full  particulars  of  his  mother's  apparel; 
then  told  him  the  cause  of  her  death,  and  his  father's  and 
how  he  had  to  mortgage  the  farm  to  pay  for  his  educa- 
tion and  that  his  mother  had  worked  in  the  field  and  con- 
tracted pneumonia  and  died.  The  gentleman  could  no 
longer  control  his  feelings.  He  laid  his  head  on  the  table 
and  wept  like  a  child.  His  mother  used  the  Woman's 
hand  and  stroked  his  hair  and  spoke  to  him.  After 
awhile  he  composed  himself.  The  Woman  came  to ;  his 
eyes  watched  her  face  as  it  changed  back  to  a  calm,  nor- 
mal expression. 

"Madam,"  he  said,  "I  just  spoke  with  my  mother, 
just  as  when  she  lived.  Oh,  it  was  so  wonderful!  And 
she  told  me  all  I  did  today,  every  step  I  made;  she  told 
me  there  is  no  use  of  my  trying  here ;  my  practice  is  good 
at  home  and  my  baby  wants  her  daddy.  Oh,  God,"  he 
continued,  pushing  his  hands  through  his  massive  head 
of  hair,  "I  am  so  glad  this  has  happened.  Oh,  my  mother 


AT  THE  THRESHOLD  OF  SELFISHNESS      257 

is  with  me  and  forgives  me,  my  good  little  mother,  who 
gave  up  her  life  for  the  welfare  of  her  boy,  and  I  wanted 
to  give  up  my  poor  baby  for  just  a  blind  fancy." 

''Yes,"  said  the  medium,  "you  as  a  physician  ought 
to  know  that  the  lady  is  not  well  and  has  blood  clots 
which  may  develop  into  apoplexy.  It  is  not  worth  the 
chance,  believe  me." 

"I  tell  you,"  he  kept  on,  "this  lady,"  and  he  shud- 
dered at  the  thought  of  her  now,  "is  immensely  wealthy. 
She  was  a  patient  of  mine  and  always  said  that,  since  I 
had  a  good  practice  and  wealthy  ladies  as  patients,  my 
wife  was  not  educated  enough  to  compete  with  my  pres- 
ent social  position." 

"But,"  interrupted  the  medium,  "she  was  practical 
enough  to  help  you  get  there.  It  may  take  her  longer  to 
feel  comfortable  in  the  social  chair,  but  it  will  not  take 
her  long  because  she  is  natural  and  wholesome." 

"You  said  it,"  came  the  happy  reply.  "I  told  her  I 
would  go  away  and  leave  her  and  she  stood  it  like  a 
man,"  he  said  proudly. 

"Like  a  woman,"  corrected  the  medium. 

' '  Say, ' '  he  said,  ' '  I  only  wish  I  could  follow  this  up ; 
why  it  is  the  greatest  science.  My!  I  will  never  forget 
how  your  face  became  my  mother's;  how  your  voice 
changed,  just  like  hers.  Could  you  come  up-state  soon? 
I  want  my  wife  to  see  you. ' ' 

"I  have  not  the  time,"  said  the  Woman,  "but  bring 
your  wife  in  and  let  me  know  ahead  of  time." 

"Thank  you,  madam,  you  saved  my  life."  Walking 
out  he  noticed  the  diploma  from  the  World's  Fair,  also 
the  huge  flower  basket  that  had  been  shipped  and  placed 
in  the  test-room. 

"Did  you  make  those?" 

"Yes." 

"You  are  an  artist,  madam.  Is  this  the  diploma  of 
your  work?" 

"Yes." 

"Could  I  buy  a  flower  for  my  wife?" 

"I  will  give  you  one  in  memory  of  the  good  work 


258  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

the  spirit  friends  did  this  day,"  and  she  handed  him  a 
pink  rose. 

"God  bless  you,  madam,  and  if  you  ever  need  a 
friend,  you  have  my  address." 

" Thank  you,  doctor,"  replied  the  medium,  and  thus 
another  curtain  closed  on  a  drama  which  through  the 
help  of  unseen  helpers  had  turned  homeward,  from  the 
fires  of  temptation,  a  wiser  and  better  man. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

WITH  CHAEITY  AS  HOSTESS 

Two  weeks  later  a  large  touring  car  stopped  in  front 
of  Mrs.  Delien's  home.  A  lady  and  gentleman  begged  to 
be  announced. 

"She  is  in,"  said  the  lady  relieved.  She  told  the 
chauffeur  to  bring  the  boxes,  packed  with  delicious  fruit, 
up  to  the  Woman. 

"We  came  to  town,  my  husband  and  I,  and  thought 
we  would  stop  in  and  see  you,  and  we  brought  a  little 
fruit  for  you." 

"That  is  so  sweet  and  thoughtful  of  you;  I  don't 
know  how  to  thank  you,"  said  the  Woman. 

"Tut,  tut,"  said  the  gentleman,  smiling,  "my  wife 
thinks  you  are  a  wonder.  Did  you  know  you  helped  her  ? 
Why,  she  has  not  been  to  the  doctor  in  two  weeks,  and  she 
was  so  attentive  to  me,  I  lived  in  the  seventh  heaven. 
Before  she  was  always  so  cranky;  never  knew  how  to 
approach  her.  First  of  all,"  he  kept  on,  "we  want  to 
know  if  you  could  have  lunch  with  us?" 

"Thank  you,  but  I  have  a  daughter  at  school  and 
would  not  like  to  have  her  come  home  and  find  me  gone." 

"You  work  so  hard,"  said  the  lady,  "I  know  you 
don't  cook  big  dinners." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  medium,  "I  could  not 
work  if  I  did.  Tf  the  stomach  works  the  brain  can't." 

"Well,  we  will  call  for  your  daughter  and  go  and 
have  lunch,"  kept  on  the  gentleman. 

"Could  she  be  back  by  one  o'clock?  I  must  be  back 
at  two  myself." 

"It  can  all  be  arranged,"  he  said,  eager  not  to  be 
put  off  as  he  was  determined  to  have  her  as  their  guest 
for  lunch. 

They  went  to  the  school  and  waited,  then  picked 
up  Konile  as  she  came  out,  and  rushed  to  the  already 
ordered  lunch. 

"I  wish  I  could  have  you  all  day,"  he  said  as  they 
waited  for  the  soup. 


260  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

' '  So  many  wish  for  that ;  I  often  wish  I  could  divide 
myself  and  work  on  both  sides." 

The  gentleman  looked  at  Ronile  and  drank  in  her 
beauty.  She  wore  a  navy  blue  corduroy  dress,  trimmed 
with  Irish  crochet  collar  and  cuffs,  and  a  row  of  white 
mother-of-pearl  buttons.  Her  hair  was  parted  in  the  mid- 
dle and  hung  in  a  mass  of  curls  around  her  flushed, 
excited  face. 

' '  You  are  a  mighty  pretty  little  girl, ' '  he  said ;  ' '  you 
will  never  be  able  to  paint  your  cheeks  as  nice  as  they 
are  now.  Try  to  keep  them,  by  keeping  as  good  as  you 
are  now." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  Woman,  "a  person's  soul 
reflects  on  the  countenance." 

"Ronile,"  said  the  host,  "we  ought  to  make  a  day 
of  it.  You  won't  lose  by  being  absent  a  half  day." 

"Oh,  no,"  came  the  answer,  "I've  never  missed  a 
minute  so  far,  or  even  been  late.  Thank  you  very  much, 
but  I  have  had  a  lovely  time  and  must  go." 

"That's  the  spirit  I  admire,"  said  the  host,  as  she 
left.  "She  will  make  a  good  citizen  some  day — duty  first. 
If  parents  would  only  impress  duty  more  earnestly  upon 
their  children,  and  love  for  their  teachers.  The  majority 
think  their  children  too  good  for  anything  and  they  are 
lacking  in  discipline,  which  renders  them  very  unhappy 
when  the  trials  of  life  demand  submission." 

He  looked  at  his  wife  happily,  and  said,  "Now,  love, 
how  would  you  like  to  have  this  lady  and  her  daughter 
spend  a  week-end  with  us?" 

"I  thought  of  that,"  said  the  wife,  trying  to  fan 
away  the  hot  flush  that  crept  over  her  face ;  ' '  could  you 
come  if  we  called  for  you  Friday  or  Saturday?" 

"It  is  your  fault  that  we  can 't, ' '  said  the  Woman  in 
a  happy  tone,  "I  shall  have  to  preserve  the  lovely  pears 
you  brought,  and  make  some  jam  out  of  the  plums  and 
quinces.  You  should  see  the  happy  smiles  when  I  make 
the  round  and  distribute  them." 

"Our  fruit  is  rotting  on  the  ground,"  said  the  gen- 
tleman, "and  we  come  to  town  almost  every  week.  It 


WITH  CHARITY  AS  HOSTESS  261 

would  be  easy  for  us  to  bring  some  each  time  and  give 
them  to  some  poor  people." 

"But  the  trouble  is  when  once  you  start  with  them 
you  never  get  through,"  said  the  lady  a  little  wearily. 

"I  don't  think  so,  madam,"  said  the  "Woman,  "and 
you  would  not  even  need  to  see  them.  They  would  gladly 
come  and  get  it,  if  you  would  leave  it  with  me.  I  know 
one  lady  who  is  nearly  blind ;  her  daughter  supports  her 
and  sometimes  when  there  is  no  work  there  is  no  food, 
for  she  just  about  makes  enough  to  make  ends  meet." 

"How  pitiful,"  said  the  rich  lady. 

"Yes,"  continued  the  Woman,  "I  would  like  to  see 
her  today  before  my  work  starts.  If  you  don't  mind  we 
could  pass  there." 

"The  car  has  not  come  back  yet,  for  I  have  not  heard 
the  signal.  It  must  be  very  gratifying  to  you,  madam," 
kept  on  the  gentleman,  "to  be  able  to  render  help  to  such 
unfortunate  people;  really  one-half  of  the  world  doesn't 
know  how  the  other  half  lives. ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  the  Woman,  "I  only  intercede.  If  it  were 
not  for  the  kindness  of  you  people  higher  up  I  could  not 
afford  much,  but  this  work  meets  both  ends  and  ties  them 
together  in  the  center.  Then  charity  and  gratitude  coop- 
erate and  make  that  live  wire  of  harmony,  keeping  the 
shuttle  of  good  deeds  in  steady  motion  and  weaving  a 
robe  that  can  grace  every  altar  of  God." 

"That's  well  spoken,"  said  the  gentleman. 

"You  see,"  said  the  wife,  "I  did  not  exaggerate  any 
in  telling  you  what  a  mind  rests  in  that  little  head. ' ' 

"There  goes  the  'toot'  of  the  car,"  said  the  host,  as 
he  rose  to  go;  and  turning  to  the  Woman  he  said,  "Have 
you  time  to  go?" 

' '  Oh,  yes,  I  must  go  and  cheer  her,  she  waits  for  me ; 
but  now  I  have  no  cake  baked;  I  was  selfish  with  my 
morning. ' ' 

"Oh,  we  will  attend  to  that,"  and  after  reaching  the 
sidewalk  they  turned  into  a  confectionery  store  and  soon 
came  back  with  a  large  box  of  French  pastries. 

"How  good  you  are! "  said  the  Woman. 

"Not  half  so  good  as  you  are.    Why  I  have  not  felt 


262  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

so  wholesome  and  happy  as  I  have  this  hour  I  have  spent 
with  you." 

"But  you  are  a  wonderfully  mellow  soil;  a  good  spir- 
itual seed  thrives  fast  in  your  being  and  I  can  see  you 
needed  the  real  opportunity  to  manifest  your  sense  of 
charity. ' ' 

"Oh,  my  wife,"  he  said,  "has  done  a  lot;  she  is  the 
head  of  all  the  charitable  movements  in  our  home- 
town." Here  the  wife  stole  a  glance  toward  the  Woman, 
a  meaning  look  in  her  eyes  as  if  she  wanted  to  say,  "You 
don't  believe  him,  you  know  better,"  but  the  Woman's 
eyes  met  hers  with  a  deep,  sincere  look,  which  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  soul  said,  "The  past  is  forgotten;  you  are 
living  in  the  present  with  an  effort  of  doing  better  tomor- 
row. ' ' 

When  they  had  seated  themselves  in  the  luxurious 
touring  car,  the  lady  took  the  Woman's  hand  and  pressed 
it  affectionately;  the  pressure  of  sincerity  was  returned 
and  just  a  few  words  were  whispered:  "You  are  the  best 
friend  I  ever  had.  You  advise  and  help  me  from  an 
unselfish  motive."  Another  pressure  of  the  hand  was  the 
only  answer  the  Woman  gave  her.  They  rode  through 
the  great  shopping  district  into  a  side  street  where 
masses  of  children  were  assembled  to  get  the  benefit  of 
the  late  autumn  sun's  rays.  There  was  the  bare  cement 
sidewalk  which  they  had  to  content  themselves  with, 
there  being  no  place  for  them  to  play.  When  the  Woman 
stepped  out  of  the  car  the  lady  held  up  a  huge  bunch  of 
flowers,  which  the  good  host  had  also  purchased  for  the 
stricken  old  Jewish  lady,  which  he  said  she  could  smell 
if  she  could  not  see  them. 

The  Woman  could  hardly  mount  the  stairs,  for  the 
little  tots  clung  to  her  skirts,  calling,  "Oh,  Lady,  please 
gimme  a  flower."  Their  appeals  were  answered,  as  she 
hastily  pulled  a  flower  for  each.  By  the  window  on  the 
ground  floor  sat  the  old  lady,  her  excited  actions  proving 
to  the  spectators  in  the  comfortable  car  that  she  must  be 
the  one  they  had  come  to  see.  A  minute  later  they  saw  two 
old  hands  reach  out  and  two  young  arms  embrace  the 
worn-out  form  of  the  old  lady  who  had  to  feel  her  way 


WITH  CHARITY  AS  HOSTESS  263 

around,  for  a  veil  had  formed  over  her  eyes  which,  as  the 
tears  formed,  grew  heavier  and  shut  out  the  glorious  sun- 
shine from  a  poor  and  lonely  body.  They  saw  how  she 
hugged  the  flowers  and  tried  to  feel  a  rose.  The  gentle- 
man saw  how  the  Woman  told  her  of  the  friends  in  the 
car  and  how  the  poor  old  lady  tried  to  straighten  her 
hair  down  on  the  sides  of  her  temples. 

"Laura,  this  is  a  sad  sight,"  he  said,  "I'll  go  in  and 
talk  to  her,"  which  he  did,  but  the  old  lady  was  too 
excited  to  talk.  He  only  heard  her  say,  "If  God  lets  my 
daughter  keep  her  work,  then  we  can  stay  here." 

A  bill  was  slipped  into  her  hand  by  the  stranger  and 
the  quivering  lips  and  the  tears  that  ran  down  the 
wrinkled  old  cheeks  paid  the  giver  a  wonderful  interest 
on  the  price  so  generously  invested. 

"It  is  only  a  loan  after  all,"  said  the  Woman,  as 
they  sat  in  the  car  once  more,  "and  now  you  know  that 
a  glass  of  jelly  or  a  cake  will  be  very  welcome  in  a  place 
of  this  kind." 

"How  those  children  begged  for  just  a  flower!  "  said 
the  wife  as  she  wrapped  her  sable  fur  more  tightly  about 
her.  "It  really  doesn't  take  much  to  satisfy  them." 

"No,  it  doesn't,"  said  the  Woman,  wistfully;  "they 
therefore  have  a  better  chance  to  reach  the  higher  realms 
than  those  who  are  bound  with  strings  of  selfishness  to 
many  earthly  treasures." 

After  the  Woman  left  these  good  people,  the  gentle- 
man said,  "No  wonder  you  felt  better  after  going  to  see 
her,  she  takes  the  sting  right  out  of  you.  Perhaps  we 
can  bring  them  up  to  our  home  next  week.  She  could 
make  her  jelly  there  and  rest  at  the  same  time." 

Ronile  said  she  would  like  to  visit  them,  but  told  her 
mother  that  if  they  could  afford  a  vacation  she  would 
rather  go  to  Kenwood. 


THE  HEALING  VIRTUE 

''You  are  just  in  time,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert,  as  Mrs. 
Delien  and  Ronile  came  in  unexpectedly  one  evening. 
"Ruth's  husband  is  laid  up  with  ulcers  of  the  stomach, 
and  has  not  worked  for  a  month." 

"We  will  have  to  sit  in  silent  devotion,"  said  the 
Woman. 

When  Ruth  heard  that  Mrs.  Delien  and  Ronile  had 
arrived,  she  ran  in  leaps  across  the  street,  forgetting  the 
dignified  attitude  a  married  woman  should  exhibit. 

"So,"  she  said  after  kissing  them,  "my  poor  hus- 
band could  die  and  you  would  never  look  after  him; 
shame  on  you! " 

"That  is  too  bad,  Ruth,  but  if  it  was  serious  I  would 
have  been  drawn  more,"  said  the  Woman. 

"It  is  serious  enough,"  Ruth  said,  "he  can't  eat  a 
thing  without  it  foaming  through  his  mouth." 

They  went  over  to  the  cottage  where  Ruth  built  her 
nest  and  found  the  young  man  doubled  up  with  pain. 

"Look,"  said  Ruth,  almost  in  tears,  "he  has  been 
like  that  for  days  and  the  doctor  says  he  must  go  to 
Texas  or  Colorado;  that  he  is  tubercular." 

"Where  there  is  life  there  is  hope,"  said  the  Woman, 
as  she  rolled  up  her  sleeves  and  began  to  work  circles 
around  the  solar  plexus;  gently  stroking  outward  move- 
ments. Then  she  took  a  linen  towel  and  dipped  it  in 
warm  water,  adding  a  dash  of  vinegar,  and  laid  it  over 
the  patient's  stomach,  then  covered  him,  first  in  a  cotton, 
then  a  woolen  blanket ;  then  she  sent  Ruth  to  her  mother 
for  a  cup  of  camomile  tea. 

"You  see,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert,  "Ruth  always  kicked 
and  wanted  to  pull  out  my  camomile  bush,  but  now  it 
may  come  in  handy  and  cure  him." 

"It  will  if  he  has  faith  in  it." 

"Oh,  I  would  drink  gall,  if  I  thought  it  would  help 
me,"  said  the  patient. 


THE  HEALING  VIRTUE  265 

"This  is  not  so  bitter  as  gall  but  will  ease  the  pain," 
said  the  Woman,  as  she  held  the  cup  of  fairly  hot  tea  to 
his  mouth,  which  he  drank  slowly,  then  he  lay  back  and 
waited  to  sense  the  effect. 

"No  foam  now,"  said  he  with  a  smile;  "it  just  creeps 
through  me.  I  hope  it  keeps  up  the  good  work." 

"It  will  if  you  keep  your  mind  on  it,"  said  the 
Woman.  Then  she  went  for  a  glass  of  water  and  placed 
it  at  the  left  side  of  the  bed,  covering  it  with  a  handker- 
chief, saying,  "Take  three  swallows  of  this  water  every 
time  you  wake  up,  and  mention  the  name  of  the  Holy 
Trinity." 

"I  will,"  said  the  patient;  "I  am  already  much 
relieved  and  feel  like  getting  up." 

"You  can  do  that  tomorrow,  but  now  give  concen- 
tration to  the  spirit  doctors,  who  are  helping  you,"  said 
the  medium.  Then  she  suggested  that  all  sit  around  the 
bed.  Later  Mr.  Hilbert  joined  them  and  after  awhile  he 
complained  of  a  weakness  in  the  stomach. 

"I  feel  the  same  way,"  said  his  wife,  and  Ruth  com- 
plained of  the  feeling. 

"This  is  a  good  sign.  He  receives  help  and  we  are 
taking  the  unnatural  condition  away  from  him,"  said  the 
medium  in  a  weak  voice.  Soon  the  patient  began  to 
breathe  more  regularly  and  indicated  a  sound  sleep. 
"Now,  we  can  leave  him,"  she  said  rising. 

"You  look  as  pale  as  death,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert  to 
the  Woman,  "we  must  eat  something." 

"It  would  not  harm  any  of  us,"  said  the  boss. 

"If  my  poor  Jack  could  only  eat,  too,"  said  Ruth, 
in  a  sad  voice. 

"Why  not?"  asked  the  Woman;  "by  tomorrow  he 
will  be  quite  himself,  but  I  would  not  advise  him  to  go 
to  work  at  the  ammunition  factory  for  awhile  for  it  is 
there  that  the  poisons  entered  into  the  cells  of  the  stom- 
ach." 

"That  is  right,"  said  the  boss.  "Why,  before  that 
the  boy  could  eat  rusty  nails  and  they  would  not  hurt 
him." 

"His  stomach  is  weak  and  easily  upset.    Out-of-door 


266  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

work  is  what  he  needs  in  the  future,  and  he  can  help  the 
country  just  the  same." 

"I  say  so,"  chimed  in  the  boss. 

The  next  day  Jack  was  eating  his  Sunday  dinner 
with  the  rest  of  the  folks,  although  he  was  quite  pale  and 
thin,  but  in  spirit  he  was  quite  his  old  self  again. 

"Some  change,"  said  the  folks,  "he  could  not  sit 
and  eat  with  us. ' ' 

"You  could  have  done  that  long  ago,"  said  Ruth, 
pointing  to  the  Woman.  "Here  I  was  on  the  verge  of 
being  a  widow." 

"No,  mother  is  more  becoming  to  you,"  said  the 
Woman  with  much  meaning  in  her  tone. 

Here  Ruth  looked  over  to  her  mother,  saying,  "Now, 
ma,  I  don't  like  that;  what  do  you  want  to  do  that  for?" 

"I  did  nothing,"  said  the  mother,  sincerely.  Ruth 
looked  around  the  party  trying  to  read  each  face  to  see 
if  they  knew  something. 

"There,  you  silly  goose,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert,  "were 
you  not  told  that  by  next  Easter  three  would  sit  around 
your  table?" 

"I  know,"  said  Ruth,  and  continuing  she  addressed 
her  husband:  "Well,  honey,  as  long  as  you  are  sitting  by 
the  table  it  will  be  all  right;  I  won't  worry  any  more. 
God  bless  and  keep  you  well,  dear,"  she  said,  with  tears 
of  thankfulness  in  her  eyes. 

"How  is  Minnie?"  asked  the  Woman,  trying  to 
change  the  subject. 

"Married  to  Ed,  the  neighbor's  boy,"  said  Ruth; 
"now  they  can  join  their  farms.  The  farmers  like  to  see 
their  children  build  their  nests  into  the  neighbors'  houses, 
so  their  property  stretches  into  space." 

"This  surely  was  not  a  hasty  marriage,  for  they 
were  sweethearts  in  childhood,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert. 

"That  is  nice,  I  always  liked  that  quiet  girl ;  she  will 
make  a  good  wife,  and  their  property  has  doubled  in 
value  since  the  war,"  joined  in  the  boss. 

"You  bet;  they  have  a  brand-new  automobile.  You 
would  hardly  know  Minnie,"  chimed  in  Ruth,  "and  she 
deserves  it." 


THE  HEALING  VIRTUE  267 

"How  is  the  mother?" 

"Oh,  fine,  she  is  up  and  around  and  never  complains 
any  more.  She  read  the  books  you  sent  her  that  time  and 
since  then  has  talked  of  nothing  else." 

"Pa,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert,  "you'd  better  drive  them 
around  this  afternoon." 

"Yes,  that  is  a  good  idea." 

"But  we  will  want  a  basket,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  "for 
there  must  be  some  mushrooms  in  their  pasture.  It  may 
be  too  cold  but  it  will  be  fun  looking  around." 

Soon  the  automobile  was  filled  with  the  jolly  crowd 
and  they  were  ready  for  a  ride  along  the  country  road. 
The  leaves  of  the  trees  were  turning  their  color  to  a  mix- 
ture well  tinted  by  Nature 's  art.  The  air  was  still  warm, 
yet  it  concealed  a  crispness  and  odor  of  the  autumn  that 
had  taken  the  reigning  seat  until  Jack  Frost  threw  his 
icy  mantle  over  all.  The  farm  had  the  appearance  of 
being  clothed  in  Sunday  garments  with  its  new  coat  of 
paint,  and  some  asters  still  held  their  heads  high  as  if  to 
show  their  victory  in  braving  the  frost  which  had  already 
nipped  most  of  the  beautiful  assortment  of  flowers 
planted  around  the  house. 

"This  looks  quite  different  from  when  I  last  saw  it," 
said  the  Woman,  always  happy  to  see  things  progress. 

Minnie's  mother  came  to  greet  them.  Her  step  was 
always  somewhat  heavy,  but  she  bustled  about  laying 
cushions  on  the  commodious  rockers  for  her  distinguished 
guests  to  sit  on.  They  told  her  not  to  bother. 

"Why,"  she  said,  "I  don't  have  the  mayor  of  the 
town  visit  me  every  day,  and  my  dear,  good  Mrs.  Delien, 
who  just  pulled  me  out  of  the  greatest  misery  in  life — 
that  is,  brooding  over  things  that  don't  have  to  be,  and 
then  blaming  God  for  it.  Will  He  ever  forgive  me?" 
Here  she  looked  at  the  Woman  with  the  thought  that  per- 
haps she  could  also  lift  the  burden  from  her  heart,  a 
question  which  sprang  up  like  a  demon  each  day  of  her 
life.  "I  try  so  hard  now  to  make  up  for  the  lost  time." 

"God  forgives  everything  if  we  only  show  a  sincere 
effort  to  be  forgiven  by  trying  to  do  good,"  said  Mrs. 
Delien. 


268  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"How  is  your  husband,  Kuth?"  inquired  the  farmer's 
wife. 

Here  the  one  addressed  came  over  and  kissed  the 
Woman,  saying  happily,  ' ' This  one  fixed  it  again ;  he  had 
dinner  with  us  today,  and  would  have  come  along  but  she 
would  not  let  him  overdo  as  he  is  quite  weak. ' ' 

"She  did!"  said  the  old  lady  with  a  loving  look  at 
the  Woman.  "I  know  if  Mrs.  Delien  ever  takes  a  thing 
in  hand  she  finishes  it." 

"With  the  help  of  God,"  came  the  answer.  "But 
you  don't  seem  to  lack  effort  in  finishing  things  either," 
kept  on  the  Woman,  smiling;  "look  at  this  basketful  of 
knitting. ' ' 

"I  try  to  keep  busy,"  said  the  farmer's  wife,  "we 
have  a  number  of  relatives  on  the  battlefield  and  then  I 
think  there  are  a  lot  of  boys  who  have  no  mother  living ; 
they  need  sweaters,  too.  I  wish  it  were  over  though. 
Not  that  I  want  to  quit  knitting,  but  on  account  of  the 
lives  that  are  being  lost  and  the  boys  who  are  maimed 
and  crippled  when  they  come  back.  It  is  very  sad." 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hilbert  pensively.  "Last  week 
four  girls  were  burned  to  death  over  here  in  the  factory ; 
burned  to  a  crisp." 

"For  what?  Tell  me,"  said  the  old  lady.  "Oh,  what 
an  awful  world! " 

"For  this  is  the  way  of  the  world,"  said  the  Woman, 
as  she  rose  to  go.  "We  must  get  back  to  the  city  today," 
she  said.  Coming  out  they  saw  Minnie,  Ed  and  Austin 
coming  over  with  a  basketful  of  mushrooms.  "Oh,  you 
did  get  some,"  said  Mrs.  Delien.  "I  am  so  glad;  we  love 
them  toasted  even  for  breakfast.  It  makes  me  so  happy," 
she  said  as  she  looked  at  the  young  couple.  "Why  you 
look  so  pretty,  Minnie." 

"Sure,"  said  her  husband,  "married  life  agrees  with 
her." 

"And  she  is  so  happy  that  it  makes  her  beautiful," 
added  the  Woman. 

"What  class  are  you  in?"  asked  Mrs.  Hilbert  of  the 
young  farmer. 

"Fifth,"  he  answered. 


THE  HEALING  VIRTUE  269 

"What  is  the  trouble?" 

"Oh,  my  left  ear-drum  is  busted." 

"That's  too  bad,"  said  the  mayor;  "how  did  that 
happen?" 

' '  When  I  was  small,  the  old  man  cracked  me  over  the 
ear  and  it  busted  the  drum.  Since  then  I  have  had  trouble 
and  can  only  hear  on  one  side,"  said  the  young  man. 

As  they  were  driving  home,  the  sun  was  turning  to 
a  reddish  tint  as  it  glided  toward  the  western  horizon. 
Mrs.  Hilbert  said:  "I  never  believed  in  people  hitting 
their  children.  If  they  have  to  go  as  far  as  to  burst  a 
child's  ear-drum  in  order  to  make  it  behave,  why,  they 
might  as  well  take  a  hammer  and  beat  it  over  the  head. 
There  is  a  boy  who  has  the  frame  of  a  perfect  man  and 
can  hear  only  in  one  ear  because  his  father  could  not  con- 
trol his  temper." 

"We  can  punish  our  children  in  a  different  way  and 
without  maiming  them,"  said  the  Woman. 

"I  know,"  said  Ruth,  laughing,  "one  day  when 
Ronile  was  a  little  tot  some  school  children  stuck  their 
tongues  out  at  her,  and  she  did  the  same ;  remember?  We 
were  sitting  on  the  porch  and  you  showed  me  what  colors 
to  use  in  my  embroidery  and  when  Ronile  stuck  out  her 
tongue  at  the  children,  you  did  not  say  a  word,  but  went 
in  and  got  half  a  lemon  and  stood  behind  her  uncon- 
cerned; the  next  time  she  did  it,  you  rubbed  the  lemon 
on  her  tongue,  and  I  never  saw  her  do  it  again." 

"That  was  better  than  slapping  her,"  said  the 
Woman,  glad  that  it  had  left  such  a  good  lesson  in 
Ruth's  memory. 

"Babies  are  too  tender,  their  bones  are  soft  and  one 
jerk  of  an  arm  may  cause  a  child  to  become  humpbacked 
in  later  years.  A  baby  is  a  most  careful  student;  they 
like  to  have  things  explained,  and  a  mother  can  talk  all 
the  little  weaknesses  out  of  it,  if  she  only  has  the  patience 
and  time,"  said  Ruth. 

"A  woman  can  arrange  to  talk  to  her  baby  even 
while  she  performs  her  household  duties,  just  as  well  as 
talking  to  the  neighbors,"  said  the  Woman. 

"You've  said   it,"  joined    in    Mrs.    Hilbert.     "God 


270  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

gives  the  rabbits  and  the  grass;  a  woman  will  not  get 
more  than  she  can  handle.  Years  ago  the  mothers  had 
large  families  and  they  had  more  time  to  sit  in  their  rock- 
ing chairs  and  rest  than  they  have  today.  But,  of  course, 
they  did  not  have  so  many  card  clubs  and  such  as  that, 
but  they  had  good  times  just  the  same.  I  remember  that 
I  had  many  a  sleigh  ride  hanging  around  my  mother's 
neck  as  she  held  sister  on  her  lap  and  we  went  flying 
down  the  hill  like  we  lived  in  fairyland." 

"I  love  fairy  stories,"  said  Austin,  although  he  was 
a  big  boy  now  and  helped  his  father  in  the  factory. 

"I,  too,"  chimed  in  Ronile,  "they  make  you  feel 
happy. ' ' 

' '  There  is  something  to  it, ' '  said  the  Woman.  ' '  I  see 
wonderful  fairies  all  the  time ;  they  are  your  brothers  and 
sisters  who  depart  out  of  the  body,  then  return  with  a 
wand  of  power  in  their  hands  and  work  out  our  difficul- 
ties." 

"You  surely  must  have  a  band  of  them,"  said  Mrs. 
Hilbert,  "for  you  work  out  the  difficulties  of  everybody 
you  come  across." 

"I  could  do  nothing  if  they  did  not  help  me,  for  the 
people  must  open  the  door  of  faith  from  the  inner-self 
and  set  the  table  of  cordiality  to  entertain  the  silent  help- 
ers in  love." 

"Here  we  are,"  said  the  boss,  as  he  drove  past  the 
house  toward  the  garage. 

' '  My  nose  is  cold, ' '  said  Ruth  as  she  rubbed  her  face 
against  that  of  her  husband,  who  was  lying  on  the  couch, 
kissing  him  at  the  same  time. 

"Oh,  mushrooms! "  he  said  as  he  saw  the  Woman  by 
the  door  with  the  basket  in  her  hand,  and  enjoying  Ruth's 
greeting  to  her  recovering  husband. 

"And  I  can't  eat  any,"  he  said  wearily. 

"Why  not?"  asked  the  Woman  from  the  doorway. 
"Did  the  tomatoes  that  you  ate  for  dinner  hurt  you?" 

"No."" 

"Well,  then,  toasted  mushrooms  won't  hurt  you 
either,"  she  said,  taking  an  apron  from  a  hook  in  the 
kitchen  and  getting  ready  to  help  with  the  supper. 


THE  HEALING  VIETUE  271 

"God  bless  you,"  said  the  patient,  as  he  sat  at  the 
table  eating  his  toast  and  the  fresh  mushrooms.  ''It  is 
heaven  to  be  able  to  eat  and  relish  the  food  and  not  be 
in  fear  of  the  pains  afterwards." 

"You  must  thank  God,  not  me.  He  blessed  you  for 
believing  in  Him.  He  is  perfect  and  if  we  cling  to  Him 
as  much  as  we  cling  to  a  habit,  we  can't  help  but  feel 
healthy,  happy  and  successful." 

"When  will  you  come  out  again?"  asked  Mrs.  Hil- 
bert  as  she  kissed  them  good-by. 

"When  an  opportunity  presents  itself." 

"Thanksgiving  and  no  later,"  said  the  boss;  "now 
remember." 

"We  will  try  our  best.  God  be  with  you  till  we  meet 
again,"  she  said  waving  her  hand  and  off  they  went, 
filled  not  alone  with  mushrooms,  but  with  blessings  and 
gratitude.  They  did  spend  Thanksgiving  with  the  Hil- 
berts  and  found  Ruth's  husband  looking  strong  and 
healthy,  but  he  was  doing  outdoor  work  and  drank  his 
camomile  tea  regularly. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

THE  THREE  QUESTIONS;   WITH  THE  HUNGET  OLD 
WOMAN 

Their  visits  were  always  happy  without  going  into 
details,  but  the  housework  became  trying  when  they 
returned  home.  An  auto  was  standing  in  front  of  the 
house  and  a  man  stood  across  the  street  constantly 
watching  the  windows  where  lonely  hearts  sought  refuge 
and  comfort.  They  did  not  watch  the  paint  marks  on  the 
faces  of  those  who  with  a  wink  of  the  eye  sought  bread 
for  their  lives  instead  of  prayer. 

Among  the  many  letters  received  by  the  Woman  was 
one  from  a  detective,  asking  if  she  could  answer  three 
questions.  A  light  rested  on  the  letter.  ' '  He  is  acquainted 
with  the  spirit  work,"  thought  the  Woman,  and  answered 
it.  The  gentleman  was  indeed  a  seeker  for  truth,  having 
heard  about  a  case  where  a  woman  lost  a  diamond  ring 
and  offered  one  hundred  dollars  reward  for  its  return. 
He  was  on  the  case  and  had  no  results.  The  lady  heard 
of  the  medium  and  on  consulting  with  her  was  told  that 
a  small  boy  had  her  ring  and  that  he  lived  down  the  hill, 
giving  full  details  of  the  surroundings,  and  the  owner  of 
the  ring  found  it  just  where  the  medium  had  told  her. 
This  aroused  the  detective's  interest  and  thus  he  came 
to  see  the  Woman.  His  questions  were  answered  and  he 
offered  the  medium  five  dollars. 

On  being  told  that  there  was  no  charge  he  said: 
"That's  all  right,  give  it  to  the  Red  Cross  if  you  don't 
want  it."  After  the  last  person  had  gone,  the  Woman 
went  to  her  room,  it  being  past  midnight,  and  was 
anxious  to  retire.  Switching  on  the  light,  she  saw  the 
small  form  of  a  woman  jump  up  in  fright. 

"Don't  be  frightened,"  said  the  Woman,  "but  tell 
me,  how  did  you  get  into  my  room?" 

"Oh,  I  did  not  want  the  people  out  there  to  see  me," 
said  the  little  lady,  whose  refined  features  showed  lines 
of  deep  sorrow.  Her  hands  were  small  and  she  held  onto 
the  chair  to  steady  herself.  "Oh,  please  pardon  me, 


THE  THREE  QUESTIONS  273 

madam,  for  coming  into  your  private  room,  but  your 
daughter  said  I  might  sit  here  and  be  more  comfortable, 
and  I  begged  her  to  turn  out  the  light  so  you  would  not 
have  extra  expense,"  said  the  little  lady. 

''What  brings  you  here?"  asked  the  Woman. 

"Oh,  I  could  sit  here  all  night,"  came  the  answer; 
"need  brought  me  here.  I  have  no  coal  to  make  my  room 
warm." 

The  Woman  still  held  in  her  hand  the  five  dollars 
given  her  by  the  detective,  and  this  she  slipped  into  the 
hand  of  the  little  lady,  saying,  "Do  you  want  to  stay 
here  tonight?" 

"Oh,  no,  my  husband  is  sick  and  I  must  be  going.  I 
thought  you  would  never  get  through,  and  fell  asleep. 
Do  you  work  every  day  this  late?" 

"Yes,  and  sometimes  later,"  answered  the  Woman, 
as  she  took  the  little  lady  by  the  shoulder  and  led  her 
into  the  kitchen.  ' '  Would  you  like  a  cup  of  tea  or  choco- 
late?" she  asked. 

"Anything  you  like,"  came  the  answer,  "but  tea 
I  have  all  the  time." 

"Well,  then,  we  will  make  some  chocolate,"  said  the 
Woman,  as  she  started  to  make  some  toast,  at  the  same 
time  filling  a  basket  with  food.  After  they  had  eaten  the 
toast  and  drunk  the  warm,  nourishing  chocolate,  the 
Woman  put  on  her  coat  and  went  out  with  the  little  lady 
to  help  her  carry  the  things.  ' '  You  did  not  exaggerate, ' ' 
she  said,  as  they  entered  the  small,  cold  apartment,  and 
heard  someone  cough.  Walking  back  home  she  wondered 
if  those  detectives  were  still  on  her  trail,  looking  for 
some  reason  to  rob  her  of  her  liberty. 

One  evening  before  dusk  she  hurried  down  to  the 
lake  in  the  park  to  take  some  bread  crumbs  to  the  birds 
there.  Four  sailors  were  sitting  near  the  lake,  eagerly 
discussing  the  difference  between  the  East  and  West. 

"I  wonder,"  said  one  young  looking  boy,  "if  they 
would  treat  these  easterners  the  same  way  out  home. 
Why  it  makes  me  sick." 

The  Woman  spoke  to  them.    "You  are  disappointed 


274  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

here.  I  suppose  you  have  not  enough  means  to  have  a 
good  time  on  land." 

"No,  we  tried  to  have  a  good  time,  and  spent  it  all," 
they  said.  "Things  are  too  high  in  this  skyscraper 
town." 

"Have  you  had  dinner?"  she  asked,  to  which  they 
answered,  "No." 

"Well,  then,  come  and  have  dinner  with  me." 

They  jumped  up  in  glee.  "Gee!  You  must  be  a 
westerner. ' ' 

"No,"  replied  the  hostess,  "I  have  been  in  the  West 
and  met  lots  of  good  people,  but  I  must  let  you  entertain 
yourselves,  as  I  have  some  marketing  to  do.  What  would 
you  like  to  eat?" 

"Steak,"  came  the  jolly  answer. 

"I'll  peel  the  potatoes,"  said  one,  and  soon  they  were 
sitting  around  the  table  enjoying  some  good  juicy  steak 
and  French  fried  potatoes,  string  beans,  lettuce  and  nice 
warm  mince  pie. 

"This,"  said  the  Woman,  "is  a  treat,"  as  she  cut 
each  a  large  piece  of  the  pie,  "it  was  sent  to  me  by  dear 
friends.  We  must  hurry  as  I  begin  work  at  seven  o'clock 
until  midnight  and  later  sometimes."  They  asked  her  if 
she  was  a  teacher. 

"Somewhat,"  she  answered,  "but  you  know  I  am 
just  a  sister  among  the  brothers,  that  is  all."  As  they 
were  drinking  their  coffee,  she  gave  each  a  test. 

"We  thought  you  must  be  something  like  that," 
they  said,  "and  we  know  all  about  this  work.  We  go 
when  we  can,  but  here  you  have  no  signs  and  we  thought 
there  were  none." 

"Lots  of  beer  signs,"  said  one  of  them. 

The  Woman  led  them  to  the  window  and  showed 
them  the  auto  and  the  men  who  watched.  "That's  the 
only  sign  we  have,"  she  said. 

They  looked  at  each  other,  these  boys  in  the  uniform 
that  meant  a  fight  for  Freedom,  and  said  just  one  word 
—"Hell." 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 
CASTING  SHADOWS  WITH  A  CROSS 

Christmas  passed  and  still  the  men  watched  at  the 
park  wall  and  the  auto  was  waiting  if  the  cold  weather 
permitted.  The  Woman 's  work  grew  into  the  early  hours 
of  the  morning  when  she  received  the  truth-seekers.  It 
was  on  a  Monday  evening.  The  Woman  had  done  her  own 
washing  in  the  morning  for  she  felt  the  money  was 
needed  as  so  many  people  had  no  coal  or  food  and  she 
saved  in  every  way.  At  her  dinner  hour  she  went  on  the 
roof  to  get  her  clothes,  when  two  women  stood  at  the 
door  and  begged  to  see  her.  She  told  them  that  she  had 
no  time  as  she  would  have  to  eat  her  dinner  and  rest  a 
little  for  the  evening  work. 

"We  have  been  here  so  often,"  said  one,  "and  need 
help  so  badly;  please  can't  you  see  us?  We  don't  want 
to  harm  you,"  and  she  pulled  out  a  rosary  and  said,  "I 
swear  by  this."  They  were  partly  concealed  from  view 
by  a  curtain,  yet  the  sight  of  the  rosary  played  an  ap- 
pealing part  on  the  mind  of  the  medium.  She  thought 
they  surely  would  not  use  an  emblem  of  God's  worship 
to  take  her  freedom. 

"This  is  my  meal-time,"  said  the  Woman,  "if  you 
go  together  I  will  see  you ;  otherwise  I  will  not  have  time 
to  eat." 

"I  don't  care,"  said  the  stout  one  with  blond  hair, 
"if  you  only  give  my  friend  a  test;  I  will  come  another 
time."  So  the  Woman  let  her  dinner  go  and  went  into 
the  test-room  where  she  sat  for  a  long  time  and  could  not 
get  an  occult  connection. 

Then  she  took  the  Bible  and  patiently  read  aloud, 
"And  it  came  to  pass  that  while  Apollos  was  at  Corinth, 
Paul  having  passed  through  the  upper  coast  came  to 
Ephesus,  and  finding  certain  disciples,  he  said  to  them, 
'  Have  ye  received  the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  believed  ? '  and 
they  said  unto  him, '  We  have  not  so  much  as  heard  wheth- 
er there  be  any  Holy  Ghost,'  and  he  said  unto  them,  'Unto 
what  then  were  ye  baptized?'  and  they  said,  'Unto  John's 


276  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

baptism.'  Then  Paul  said:  'John  verily  baptized  with 
the  baptism  of  repentance,  saying  unto  the  people  they 
should  believe  in  Him  which  should  come  after  him,  that 
is,  Jesus  Christ.  When  they  heard  this  they  were  bap- 
tized in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.'  And  when  Paul 
had  laid  his  hands  upon  them  the  Holy  Ghost  came  unto 
them;  and  they  spake  with  tongues  and  prophesied,  and 
all  the  men  were  about  twelve,  and  he  went  into  the 
synagogue  and  spake  holy  for  the  space  of  three  months, 
discussing  and  persuading  the  things  concerning  the 
Kingdom  of  God."  But  here  she  read  in  silence  for  a 
few  minutes,  then  aloud:  "And  God  wrought  special 
miracles  by  the  hands  of  Paul!  So  that  from  his  body 
were  brought  unto  the  sick  handkerchiefs  or  aprons,  and 
the  diseases  departed  from  them  and  the  evil  spirit  went 
out  of  them."  Here  the  medium  looked  at  the  thin,  tall 
woman  sitting  in  front  of  her,  an  animal  skin  around  her 
neck. 

She  thought  of  the  Indian's  warning  and  said, 
"Madam,  I  cannot  get  a  message  for  you." 

"But  you  must,"  said  the  other,  somewhat  impressed, 
"perhaps  if  you  read  it  will  help  me."  Here  she  men- 
tioned a  medium  that  the  Woman  knew  and  said :  ' '  Mad- 
am So-and-So  had  a  hard  time  also  but  did  finally  get 
me  a  good  message.  I  am  so  worried  about  someone,  if 
you  could  only  tell  me." 

"Yes,"  said  the  medium,  "if  it  was  only  that  some- 
one that  guides  through  the  grace  of  God's  refuge,  but 
the  gates  of  heaven  seem  closed  to  you. ' '  She  turned  the 
leaves  of  the  Bible  mechanically  as  she  spoke  and  rested 
on  the  Twelfth  Chapter  of  Corinthians.  The  spiritual 
gift;  their  profit;  the  actual  spiritual  body.  She  read 
aloud  again:  "Now  concerning  spiritual  gifts,  brethren,  I 
would  not  have  you  ignorant.  Ye  know  that  ye  were 
Gentiles  carried  away  into  these  dumb  idols,  even  as  ye 
were  led.  Wherefore,  I  give  ye  to  understand  that  no 
man  speaking  by  spirit  of  God  calleth  Jesus  accursed : 
and  that  no  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord  but  by 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Now  there  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but 
the  same  spirit  and  there  are  differences  of  administration 
but  the  same  Lord.  And  there  are  diversities  of  opera- 


CASTING  SHADOWS  WITH  A  CROSS        277 

tions  but  it  is  the  same  God  which  maketh  in  all.  But 
the  manifestation  of  the  spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to 
profit  withal.  For  the  one  is  given  by  the  spirit  the  word 
of  wisdom,  to  another  the  word  of  knowledge,  by  the 
same  spirit ;  to  another  faith  by  the  same  spirit ;  to  another 
gifts  of  healing  by  the  same  spirit ;  to  another  the  working 
of  miracles;  to  another  prophecy;  to  another  discerning 
of  spirits;  to  another  divers  kinds  of  tongues.  But  all 
these  work  that  one  and  the  self-same  spirit,  dividing 
to  every  man  severally  as  he  will,  for  as  the  body  is  one, 
and  has  many  members  and  all  the  members  of  that  one 
body  being  many,  are  one  body;  so  also  is  Christ.  For 
by  one  spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one  body,  whether 
we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether  we  be  bond  or  free,  and 
have  been  all  made  to  drink  with  one  spirit. 

"For  the  body  is  not  one  member  but  many.  If  the 
foot  shall  say  because  I  am  not  of  the  hand  I  am  not  of 
the  body,  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body?  And  if  the 
ear  shall  say  because  I  am  not  of  the  eye,  I  am  not  of  the 
body,  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body?  If  the  whole  body 
were  an  eye,  where  were  the  hearing  ?  If  the  whole  were 
the  hearing,  where  were  the  smelling  ?  But  now  had  God 
set  the  members  every  one  of  them  in  the  body  as  it  hath 
passed  him.  And  if  they  were  all  one  member,  where 
were  the  body?  But  now  are  they  many  members,  yet 
but  one  body.  And  the  eye  cannot  say  unto  the  hand,  I 
have  no  need  of  thee;  nor  again  the  head  to  the  feet,  I 
have  no  need  of  thee.  Nay,  much  more  those  members 
of  the  body,  which  seem  to  be  more  feeble,  are  necessary. 
And  those  members  of  the  body,  which  we  think  to  be  less 
honorable,  upon  these  we  bestow  more  abundant  honor ; 
and  our  uncomely  parts  have  more  abundant  comeliness. 
For  our  comely  parts  have  no  need ;  but  God  hath  tem- 
pered the  body  together,  having  given  more  abundant 
honor  to  the  part  which  lacked,  and  whether  one  member 
suffer,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it,  or  one  member  be 
honored  all  the  members  rejoice  with  it.  Now  ye  are 
the  body  of  Christ  and  members  in  particular  and  God 
hath  set  some  in  the  Church,  first  apostles,  secondly, 
prophets,  thirdly,  teachers,  after  that  miracles,  then  gifts 
of  healing,  helps,  governments,  diversities  of  tongues. 


278  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

Are  all  apostles?  Are  all  prophets?  Are  all  teachers? 
Are  all  workers  of  miracles?  Have  all  the  gifts  of  heal- 
ing? Do  all  speak  with  tongues?  Do  all  interpret?  But 
covet  earnestly  the  best  gifts;  and  yet  show  I  unto  you 
a  more  excellent  way." 

The  medium  looked  up  at  the  stranger,  "You  under- 
stand what  I  read?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  other  quite  absorbed. 

"And  you  understand  its  meaning?  For  I  did  not 
look  for  this  scripture,  it  was  laid  open  to  you.  Remem- 
ber then  that  there  is  a  reason  from  a  higher  power.  It 
is  an  unseen  might  and  it  strikes  unexpectedly  the  wicked 
who  are  seeking  their  bread  in  demoralizing  God's  station 
of  prophet  transmission." 

While  the  stranger  was  thus  absorbed  in  the  medi- 
um's speech,  and  had  forgotten  her  mission,  the  gates 
were  opened  and  her  loved  ones  found  admission  to  render 
spiritual  help  to  a  child  far  beyond  a  spirit  reach,  that 
dealt  daily  in  changing  a  rosary  to  shackles  and  prison 
bars.  The  medium  had  forgotten  the  danger  signal  and 
summoned  the  loved  ones  of  the  detective,  thinking  per- 
haps they  might  help  her  find  a  way  to  know  the  great 
danger  of  disregarding  the  Omnipotent  power  in  using 
a  symbolic  emblem  to  trick  earthly  existence. 

She  laid  her  hand  on  the  detective's  hand  and  said, 
"You  suffer  with  rheumatism." 

"I  do,"  came  the  answer.     "Can  you  help  me?" 

' '  God  will  help  you  if  you  abide  by  His  laws. ' '  There 
she  told  her  the  name  of  her  superior  officer  and  said: 
"I  am  not  afraid  of  her  who  sent  you,  tell  her  if  you  wish, 
and  also  mention  that  if  life  ended  with  this  body  I  might 
resort  to  an  easier  mode  of  living  as  she  does,  but  life's 
consequences  of  sin  do  not  end  in  communion  each  month 
and  the  burning  of  candles.  One  sigh  from  a  prison  cell 
can  blow  out  the  light  of  a  million  candles.  It  makes  a 
mist  between  heaven  and  earth  and  through  that  mist  the 
guilty  one  must  travel;  that  may  take  eons  of  time.  A 
soul  of  that  kind  will  be  shrouded  in  a  prison  and  will 
hear  the  gnashing  of  teeth  and  wailing  cries.  Such  a 
hell  is  one  of  the  worst  kind,  for  every  second  is  filled 
with  reproaches  and  blasphemy."  Here  the  detective 


CASTING  SHADOWS  WITH  A  CROSS        279 

with  the  animal  skin  around  her  neck  shivered  in  a  hor- 
rified fashion.  "Then,"  continued  the  medium,  "there 
is  a  brother  of  yours  in  the  war." 

"Oh,  yes,  what  of  him?  "  Here  the  medium  men- 
tioned the  regiment  and  division.  "That's  right,"  said 
the  detective  lady.  "Oh,  tell  me,  will  my  brother  re- 
turn?" The  medium  looked  questioningly  at  the  spirit 
faces,  their  heads  nodding,  then  one  of  the  souls  impressed 
on  the  medium  to  tell  her  that  he  would  return. 

' '  This  is  predicting, ' '  said  the  medium, ' '  I  don 't  have 
to  answer  that." 

"Oh,  do  tell  me,  if  you  can,"  cried  the  other,  "for 
I  am  so  worried." 

"Your  Aunt  Bridget  says  he  will." 

"Oh,  thank  you,"  said  the  other.  "This  was  the 
best  test  I  ever  had. ' ' 

"Make  good  use  of  it,"  said  the  medium,  rising. 

"What  are  the  charges?" 

"Nothing,"  answered  the  medium,  "I  never  make 
any,"  and  here  she  pointed  to  the  basket  of  silk  flowers. 
"This  is  my  material  work,  but  people  take  my  time  so 
much  that  I  can't  make  any." 

"That  is  wonderful  work,"  said  the  other  as  she 
left.  "You  are  a  good  medium  and  I  thank  you." 

After  they  had  gone  the  Woman  looked  out  of  the 
window  and  the  auto,  too,  was  gone,  and  for  two  weeks 
the  man  was  missing  from  the  park  wall. 

"Oh,"  thought  the  medium,  "my  test  helped;  the 
dear  Lord  found  a  way  to  relieve  me  of  the  suspense  in 
seeing  bars  before  me  each  day." 

Thus  Lent  arrived  and  Ash  Wednesday.  The  medi- 
um held  the  general  seance.  "There  is  a  danger  signal 
for  my  freedom,  I  see  myself  in  prison.  Well,  it  is  Lent, ' ' 
she  said  wearily,  "and  perhaps  the  Lord  wishes  it  so." 

The  next  day  she  was  unable  to  give  tests.  People 
came  from  out  of  town  and  had  to  go  back. 

"I  don't  feel  well  enough  to  see  any  one,"  she  told 
the  operator. 

In  the  evening  a  colored  maid  came  to  summon  the 
medium  to  her  mistress,  saying,  "  It  is  most  important. ' ' 

"Sara,  I  cannot,  I  am  in  Gethsemane;  someone  will 


280  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

take  my  freedom  I  know,  for  it  seems  so  close.  It  is  Lent 
and  I  must  do  it  for  mankind,  otherwise  God  would  spare 
me,"  said  the  medium. 

"Oh,  you  may  imagine  that,"  said  Sara. 

"No,  no,  I  am  sure,  and  perhaps  by  tomorrow  evening 
you  will  know;  call  me  up  tomorrow  evening,  I  may  be 
able  to  see  your  mistress  after  that,"  said  the  medium. 


Ronile  rehearsing  her  part  of  "Light,"  in  The  Bluebird.  "Yes,"  said 
Daddy  Handel,  "Mrs.  Delien,  keep  her  on  this  road,  with  careful  guiding. 
She'll  make  'The  Way  of  the  World'  lots  brighter." — Page  199. 


CHAPTER  XL 
THE  AEBEST 

Next  morning  they  got  up  early  and  Ronile  had  just 
left  for  school  when  the  bell  rang.  It  was  the  detective 
lady  and  a  gentleman.  Seeing  the  Woman  she  quickly 
went  into  the  apartment  and  told  the  man  to  follow,  then 
said,  "You  are  under  arrest." 

"Very  well,"  came  the  answer.  Then  the  Woman 
went  into  her  room  to  dress,  but  the  detective  followed 
her  closely.  "Is  the  case  so  criminal  that  I  can't  dress 
alone?"  she  asked. 

"I  must  stay  with  you  and  watch  so  that  you  cannot 
harm  yourself." 

"Harm  myself?"  asked  the  medium,  a  sad  smile 
creeping  over  her  face;  "for  what?  Because  you  are 
about  to  put  an  iron  hand  around  the  freedom  of  your 
soul,  not  my  body?  This  is  my  stepping-stone,  a  golden 
key  to  the  gate  of  redemption." 

The  little  canary  bird  chirped  alarmingly.  "Oh, 
there  is  a  sound;  someone  knows  of  my  plight,  even  a 
little  bird."  She  talked  with  it  and  the  bird  seemed  to 
answer  in  his  way.  "I  will  be  back  soon,"  she  said  as 
she  left  the  h6use,  glad  that  at  least  Ronile  was  spared 
the  sight  of  her  trip  to  the  station  house.  Before  going 
she  asked  if  she  might  call  up  someone,  but  they  said, 
"No."  However,  she  managed  to  tell  the  operator  to 
call  Riverside  A2695. 

"Tell  them  I  am  under  arrest  and  to  come  and  help 
me." 

"You  are  not  allowed  to  do  that,"  said  the  woman 
.detective,  "as  it  is  against  the  law  when  one  is  under 
arrest. ' ' 

' '  Against  the  law  of  man,  perhaps, ' '  came  the  answer ; 
"that  can  be  overthrown  tomorrow,  but  woe  unto  the 
one  who  violates  the  eternal  law  of  God!  I  am  sorry 
for  you,"  said  the  medium. 

"How  did  you  get  her?  She  was  the  hardest  case 
in  the  city,"  said  the  man. 


282  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Oh,"  said  the  woman  triumphantly,  "I  got  her  in 
predicting  that  my  brother  would  come  back  from 
France." 

' '  Did  she  tell  you  anything  good  1 ' ' 

"Sure;  everything." 

"And  made  no  charge?" 

"No,  I  got  her  on  predicting." 

They  had  the  medium  between  them.  The  man 
looked  at  her  and  said,  "When  you  get  out,  I'll  come  to 
see  you." 

"It  will  not  be  necessary,"  replied  the  medium,  "my 
work  is  done  here." 

"Do  you  believe  in  this?"  asked  the  woman  detec- 
tive. 

"Sure  I  do!  What  do  you  think  we  do  when  we 
sit  at  the  station  house?  Why,  we  have  table  rapping 
and  the  Ouija  Board,  and  everything." 

"Still  you  take  the  liberty  of  a  medium,"  said  the 
arrested  prophet. 

"That's  the  law,"  came  the  answer.  The  medium 
was  too  disgusted  to  argue  any  further.  She  submitted 
quietly  and  said  no  more. 

First,  they  took  her  to  the  station  house  and  recorded 
the  case;  then  to  the  court-house.  A  large  man  with  a 
coarse  red  face  was  on  the  bench  when  she  was  brought 
up  for  hearing.  His  grammar  was  poor  and  he  looked 
at  her  fiercely. 

"Yer  charge  is  fortune  tellin',"  he  said;  "are  ye 
guilty?" 

"No,  I  am  not  guilty.     I  did  no  wrong." 

"What!"  he  thundered.  "The  likes  of  you  belong 
on  the  Island."  Seeing  there  was  no  mercy  to  be  traced 
in  his  face,  she  begged  to  have  the  case  postponed,  and 
he  asked  three  hundred  dollars'  bail.  To  him  it  was  like 
making  a  change  of  money  in  a  purchase.  They  took 
the  Woman  through  a  long  corridor,  down  many  steps 
into  an  office.  After  giving  her  name,  address  and  age 
once  more,  she  sat  down,  too  weak  to  stand  on  her  feet 
any  longer. 

"Not  that  easy,  ma'am,"  she  heard  someone  say 
and  felt  herself  taken  by  the  arm  and  led  to  a  gate.  A 


THE  ARREST  283 

row  of  bedsteads  were  visible  through  the  bars.  A  mo- 
ment later  she  felt  herself  standing  in  a  cold,  barren  room 
with  not  even  a  chair  to  sit  on  but  just  beds  with  wire 
springs.  Utter  fatigue  overcame  her  and  she  looked  for 
a  place  of  support.  There  was  just  the  wire  spring, 
which  gave  way  as  she  fell  on  the  edge  and  remained 
motionless  for  three  hours. 

On  the  other  side  there  was  a  drunken  woman  who 
could  not  stand  on  her  feet,  but  cursed  because  they  gave 
her  nothing  to  drink.  She  then  played  illness,  calling 
for  a  doctor,  moaning  and  screaming  for  help.  From 
twelve  to  three  in  the  afternoon  the  Woman  remained  in 
the  confinement  of  the  prison  when  the  good  friends  came 
with  her  bail.  They  kissed  the  medium  and  comforted 
her,  but  it  seemed  her  throat  was  closed  for  speech,  a 
numbness  had  overtaken  her  and  she  could  not  talk.  The 
pupils  of  her  eyes  were  large  and  dark,  a  queer,  mysteri- 
ous depth  was  visible  as  she  looked  into  space.  They  put 
her  to  bed  and  told  Ronile  to  watch  and  let  them  know 
when  her  mother  needed  them. 

"Oh,  mother,  darling,  I  did  not  know  where  you 
were  at  lunch  time  and  the  lady  upstairs  gave  me  some- 
thing to  eat  and  told  me  not  to  worry  that  you  were  called 
out  hastily,  but  you  would  be  back  by  three.  Where  were 
you,  mother,  darling?  You  always  tell  me  what  hap- 
pened," kept  on  Ronile.  "Now,  mother,"  she  said  seri- 
ously, "I  am  big  enough  to  know  and  help  you." 

"In  jail,"  said  the  mother  in  a  weary  tone. 

Ronile  straightened  up  to  her  full  height.  ' '  I  thought 
so,"  she  said  between  her  teeth.  Her  fists  clenched. 
' '  Wait, ' '  she  said,  ' '  some  day  they  will  pay  for  that,  they 
will,  they  will!"  She  threw  herself  on  the  bed  and 
sobbed  to  break  her  heart.  "My  good  little  mother,  I 
told  you  we  should  go  back  west.  I  am  tired  of  this  big 
cruel  city.  I  would  rather  live  with  the  savage  than 
with  these  slave-drivers,  wouldn't  you,  mother?" 

"No,  darling,  you  must  brace  up.  You  have  always 
supported  me,  and  now  I  need  it  more  than  ever  before." 

"Yes,  mother,  when  I  was  small,  I  did  not  under- 
stand, but  now  I  am  big  and  feel  the  hardship  more. 
Dear  Lord,"  she  said,  "we  have  had  hard  times  enough 


284  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

and  mother  just  wanted  to  please  you.  Will  you  not 
help  us  get  away  from  here?  Why  don't  you  send  an 
earthquake  and  crush  everything ?  I  don't  want  to  live  in 
this  miserable  world  any  more." 

"Now,  Ronile,"  said  her  mother,  "stop  complaining. 
The  Lord  knows  what  He  does,  and  I  will  let  Him  lead 
me.  Don't  complain,  but  pray." 

Just  then  the  telephone  rang  continuously.  Every- 
one wanted  to  know  when  the  case  was  coming  up. 
"Monday  morning,"  answered  the  Woman.  Then  a  fa- 
miliar noise  was  heard,  the  tooting  of  an  automobile  horn ; 
then  the  telephone  rang  again.  It  was  the  rich  lady's 
chauffeur.  "Madam  wants  you  to  come  and  go  to  Jersey 
with  her.  Pack  your  grip  and  hurry."  The  Woman 
thought  for  a  moment  and  decided  that  it  would  be  the 
best  thing  they  could  do.  Ronile  did  not  wish  for  an 
earthquake  then.  She  quickly  took  the  bird  and  carried 
it  upstairs  to  a  lady  who  asked  to  keep  him  while  they 
were  gone,  because  she  enjoyed  his  singing. 

"You  need  rest,  my  dear,"  said  the  good  lady,  "for 
your  case  Monday.  I  have  secured  a  lawyer  for  your 
defense.  Remember  it  was  told  and  had  to  come,"  she 
said;  "it  is  an  operation  that  puts  you  under  anesthetic 
but  will  give  you  a  chance  for  recovery.  It  will  take  all 
blemish  out  of  earthly  weakness  and  make  you  a  more 
wholesome,  spiritual  body." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  medium,  and  tried  hard 
to  forget  the  cells  and  bars,  the  voice  and  curses  of  the 
drunken  companion,  and  the  judge  who  had  threatened 
to  send  her  to  the  Island.  That  was  a  scene  before  her 
eyes  which  she  could  not  wipe  away,  for  she  knew  medi- 
ums who  had  died  in  the  prisons  on  Blackwell  Island. 
She  told  her  friend  that  and  was  assured  that  no  money 
would  be  spared  for  her  release  and  that  money  counted 
in  such  cases.  The  lawyer  said  it  was  not  a  serious 
charge,  and  told  her  not  to  worry. 


CHAPTER  XLI 

"IF  THEY  HALE  YOU  INTO  COUET  BECAUSE  OF  ME,  BE 
NOT  AFBAID" 

They  were  all  assembled  at  the  appointed  time  on 
Monday  morning.  The  court  room  was  filled  with  the 
poorest  and  the  richest  to  testify  that  nothing  but  the 
best  intentions  prevailed  in  the  medium's  work  to  help 
mankind.  There  was  the  little  old  lady  who  wanted  to 
tell  how  the  medium  kept  her  from  starvation  and  cold ; 
also  the  detective  who  paid  five  dollars  for  three  questions 
and  that  the  whole  sum  was  turned  over  to  the  poor 
woman,  although  it  was  near  midnight  when  the  medium 
still  worked  and  that  he  found  her  to  be  the  most  humane 
person  he  had  ever  met.  There  was  the  young  woman 
who  was  waiting  to  tell  how  she  was  helped  when  her 
son  ran  away  and  joined  the  Navy  and  then  deserted; 
how  the  medium  had  told  her  his  given  name  and  that 
he  was  on  a  ranch  in  Wyoming  and  that  the  guides  would 
impress  him  to  write  to  her  and  how  five  days  afterwards 
she  received  a  letter  that  he  was  at  the  place  mentioned 
by  the  medium  and  for  five  days  he  dreamed  of  his  mother 
every  night  and  became  so  homesick  that  he  had  to  write. 

Madeline,  with  her  baby,  was  also  there.  The  baby 
wore  a  service  button  on  his  little  coat  which  told  enough. 
The  wealthy  gentleman  was  also  present  to  prove  how 
his  wife  was  cured  and  never  went  to  another  doctor. 
Another  gentleman  who  was  so  deaf  that  he  could  not 
secure  an  auto  driving  license,  testified  that  now  he  was 
able  to  hear  everything.  The  hall  boys  were  there  to 
testify  that  they  had  strict  orders  from  Mrs.  Delien  not 
to  let  anybody  upstairs  who  came  asking  to  have  their 
fortunes  told.  There  were  girls  who  were  on  the  verge 
of  suicide  and  how  happy  they  had  been  since  the  medium 
opened  a  different  outlook  for  them.  There  was  a  court 
room  full  of  people  of  all  ages  and  stages  in  life  to  give 
testimony  and  hold  firm  a  station  where  they  could  com- 
mune with  their  loved  ones. 

The  door  opened  and  everybody  stood  up.  It  was 
the  honorable  judge.  "Oh,  Lord,"  thought  the  Woman, 


286  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"it  is  the  same  one  and  no  witnesses  will  do  me  any  good 
here."  His  stern  eyes  swept  over  the  crowded  court 
room ;  his  teeth  set  firmly  as  if  he  wanted  to  steady  him- 
self against  a  crowd  of  this  kind.  He  walked  over  toward 
the  bench  and  began  to  sway  when  he  beheld  a  familiar, 
pretty  girl  on  the  front  bench  winking.  His  face  became 
gray  and  ashen.  The  attendants  reached  his  side  and  es- 
corted him  into  the  antechamber.  After  awhile  it  was 
announced  that  they  had  to  summon  another  judge  as  his 
honor  was  too  sick  to  hold  the  session. 

Among  the  witnesses  ran  whispers  and  eyes  met  with 
a  meaning  expression,  ' '  There  is  a  Judge  so  great  He  can 
smite  the  wicked  and  with  one  stroke  throw  them  off 
the  pedestal." 

"I  thought,"  said  the  rich  gentleman  from  up-state, 
"that  something  would  happen;  otherwise  I'd  lose  my 
faith  if  God  left  her  alone  in  an  hour  of  this  kind." 

The  Woman's  neighbor  was  also  present.  "I  am  a 
little  late,"  she  said,  as  she  greeted  the  defendant  in  the 
case,  "and  say,  I  brought  the  judge's  sweetheart  and 
we  took  the  front  seat.  I  told  her  to  just  wink  at  him; 
maybe  that  is  why  he  got  sick." 

"It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  be  so  interested,"  said 
the  medium. 

' '  Well, ' '  said  the  other, ' '  you  were  in  trouble,  and  we 
have  no  stone  where  others  have  a  heart." 

"I  am  very  happy  about  it,"  said  the  medium,  "but 
we  don't  have  to  do  any  winking;  I  will  stand  my 
ground. ' ' 

Two  hours  passed  and  the  door  opened.  Again  a 
judge  entered  upon  the  scene.  His  face  was  still  young 
and  sympathetic.  He  sized  up  the  huge  crowd  of  wit- 
nesses with  a  mixed  expression  of  curiosity  and  candor. 
His  presence  seemed  to  loosen  the  tension  of  the  crowd 
as  he  mounted  the  bench  where  words  are  weighed  more 
carefully  than  those  of  a  minister  from  the  pulpit;  for 
the  freedom  or  confinement,  life  or  death  of  the  one  con- 
cerned depend  on  the  words  which  come  from  his  lips. 
It  was  the  third  case  called.  The  medium  was  led  to  the 
criminal  chair,  supported  on  all  sides.  She  did  not  seem 
to  feel  that  she  was  a  criminal  as  she  sat  with  keen  eyes 


"BE  NOT  AFRAID"  287 

watching  the  proceedings.  The  lady  detective  was  first 
on  the  witness  stand  to  testify  to  the  criminal  charges, 
telling  of  her  interview,  and  she  glanced  over  to  the  me- 
dium and  caught  her  eye. 

"I  demand  the  truth,"  she  seemed  to  say,  "for  you 
swore  on  oath."  The  Woman  thought  of  the  rosary,  a 
symbol  of  the  crucifixion  in  truth  for  universal  brother- 
hood. A  sad  smile  swept  over  her  face,  for  she  would 
rather  have  been  crucified  herself  than  use  a  symbol  of 
that  kind  to  gain  a  point.  After  the  witness  had  finished 
with  her  charge,  she  looked  victoriously  at  the  defendant, 
but  the  latter  had  no  more  looks  for  anybody.  She  had 
sworn  to  tell  the  truth;  not  to  plead  or  protest.  Then, 
too,  she  remembered  the  biblical  truth:  "If  they  hale 
you  into  court  because  of  Me,  be  not  afraid  of  what  you 
say,  for  the  holy  spirit  will  speak  for  you. ' ' 

The  judge  said,  "You  are  guilty  of  fortune-telling 
and  you  predicted  that  the  witness'  brother  would  re- 
turn." 

' '  I  did, ' '  said  the  voice  out  of  the  medium. 

"That  is  against  the  law,"  said  the  judge. 

The  defendant  pointed  to  the  Bible  and  said:  "You 
make  people  swear  by  the  story  of  One  who  was  a  prophet ; 
whose  whole  life  was  spent  in  predicting  the  future.  This 
God  in  flesh  never  did  harm  and  was  crucified  for  His 
prophecy.  The  fighting  has  ended  on  the  battlefield,  why 
then  is  it  a  sin  to  say  a  soldier  will  return?  And  this 
woman  gained  entrance  to  my  sanctuary  by  showing  a 
rosary ;  then  wept  crocodile  tears  to  arouse  my  sympathy, 
just  to  have  me  say  the  words,  'He  will  return.'  What 
harm  was  there?  Every  soldier  who  saw  me  before  his 
entry  into  war  did  return.  Open  that  Bible  and  read. 
You  will  find  the  answer  to  my  charge." 

The  judge  mechanically  opened  the  Bible.  It  was 
the  Twelfth  Chapter  of  St.  Luke — the  instruction  to  the 
disciples:  "In  the  meantime,  when  there  were  gathered 
together  an  innumerable  multitude  of  people,  insomuch 
that  they  trode  one  upon  another,  he  began  to  say  unto 
his  disciples  first  of  all,  Beware  ye  of  the  leaven  of  the 
Pharisees,  which  is  hypocrisy.  For  there  is  nothing  cov- 
ered that  shall  not  be  revealed ;  neither  hid,  that  shall  not 


288  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

be  known.  Therefore,  whatsoever  ye  have  spoken  in 
darkness  shall  be  heard  in  the  light;  and  that  which  ye 
have  spoken  in  the  ear  in  closets  shall  be  proclaimed  upon 
the  housetops.  And  I  say  unto  you,  my  friends,  Be  not 
afraid  of  them  that  kill  the  body,  and  after  that  have  no 
more  that  they  can  do.  But  I  will  forewarn  ye  whom  ye 
shall  fear:  Fear  him,  which  after  he  hath  killed  hath 
power  to  cast  into  hell;  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  Fear  him. 
Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings,  and  not  one 
of  them  is  forgotten  before  God?  But  even  the  very 
hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  not  therefore ; 
ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows.  Also  I  say 
unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  confess  me  before  men,  him 
shall  the  Son  of  Man  also  confess  before  the  angels  of 
God :  And  whosoever  shall  speak  a  word  against  the  Son 
of  man,  it  shall  be  forgiven  him ;  but  woe  unto  him  that 
blasphemeth  against  the  Holy  Ghost  it  shall  not  be  for- 
given. And  when  they  bring  you  into  the  synagogues, 
and  unto  magistrates,  and  powers,  take  ye  no  thought 
how  or  what  thing  ye  shall  answer,  or  what  ye  shall  say : 
For  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  teach  you  in  the  same  hour  what 
ye  ought  to  say." 

A  stillness  prevailed  as  the  judge  read  these  scrip- 
ture verses,  and  after  finishing  he  rested  his  chin  on  his 
hand  and  looked  into  space,  then  said:  "It  is  very  re- 
markable that  I  should  read  this  scripture. ' ' 

Here  the  lawyer  broke  in  and  said,  "Your  honor,  this 
is  a  most  extraordinary  case ;  this  woman  has  supernatural 
power  and  I  beg  you  to  dismiss  the  case  as  she  did  no 
wrong." 

"I  know,"  said  the  judge,  "there  is  something  to 
it,  for  I  read  the  books  of  Sir  Conan  Doyle  and  Sir  Oliver 
Lodge,  but  if  I  dismiss  the  case  I  will  have  to  leave  the 
bench.  She  is  guilty  of  predicting  and  that  is  against 
the  law." 

The  voice  out  of  the  Woman  again  spoke  out,  re- 
calling the  story  of  Joseph;  how  his  own  brothers  hated 
him  for  speaking  of  the  future.  Why  was  Daniel  thrown 
among  the  lions?  Why  was  St.  Catherine  beheaded? 
Why  did  the  bread  St.  Elizabeth  intended  for  the  poor 
turn  to  roses  in  the  presence  of  her  tyrannical  spouse  and 


"BE  NOT  AFKAID"  289 

make  him  a  convert?  Why  was  Joan  of  Arc  burned  at 
the  stake?" 

"Such  is  the  way  of  the  world,"  said  the  judge,  im- 
pressed, ' '  and  I  represent  the  law ;  therefore,  I  must  abide 
by  it  and  find  you  guilty  by  giving  you  the  cheapest  fine 
and  have  your  finger-prints  taken." 

Here  the  defendant  rose  to  her  full  height,  looking 
more  like  the  prosecutor  than  the  culprit.  "I  know  noth- 
ing about  your  laws,"  she  said,  "but  if  you  will  look  in 
the  books  you  will  find  that  there  was  a  recent  decision 
passed,  which  takes  from  magistrates  the  right  to  have 
finger-prints  taken  unless  the  defendant  wishes  to  submit 
to  the  process."  She  put  up  both  hands,  saying,  "You 
can  cut  them  both  off;  that  is  your  doing,  but  you  can 
never  get  me  to  admit  that  I  am  a  criminal." 

The  judge  was  quite  stunned  at  the  intelligence  of 
such  a  speech.  He  left  the  court  room  and  came  back 
after  about  ten  minutes,  out  of  a  cloud  of  cigarette  smoke 
and  remounted  the  bench,  saying,  "The  woman  is  right, 
I  cannot  force  her";  then  the  court  official  escorted  the 
Woman  out  of  the  court  room  to  the  finger-print  officials. 
She  told  the  finger-print  man  what  she  had  told  the  judge 
and  went  back  into  the  court  room  without  having  had 
the  finger-prints  taken. 

She  mounted  the  stand  with  judicial  authority  and 
said  to  the  magistrate,  sweetly:  "Judge,  let  me  tell  you 
a  few  incidents  of  your  past  life.  I  shall  begin  with — " 
here  the  judge  jumped  off  his  seat  and  grabbed  the  gavel, 
crying,  "Stop!" 

"Please  let  me  begin,  your  honor.  I  shall  begin  with 
an  incident  that  occurred  on  the — " 

"Stop,  stop!"  cried  the  judge,  with  a  bang  of  the 
gavel.  "I  fine  you  fifteen  dollars."  This  ended  the 
court  proceeding ;  the  friends  fought  for  the  privilege  of 
paying  the  fine,  then  led  the  martyr,  as  they  called  her, 
from  the  very  material  court  room. 

The  next  day  the  papers  of  New  York  City  were 
filled  with  the  wise  talk  of  the  medium  and  reporters 
stormed  the  house.  But  the  gentleman  from  up-state 
made  sure  that  his  little  hero-woman  had  no  more  un- 
necessary callers  than  he  could  help.  He  took  the  Woman 


290  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

and  Eonile  up  home,  as  he  called  it,  but  Ronile  was  wor- 
ried about  her  school.  Letters  came  in  by  the  hundreds, 
proposals  and  letters  of  sympathy  galore,  but  they  all 
failed  to  affect  the  medium.  She  answered  those  that 
appealed  to  her  and  the  others  she  put  away  and  kept 
on  with  her  spiritual  work.  Her  health,  however,  failed. 
The  prison  seemed  to  have  robbed  her  of  the  hearty  laugh 
that  Ronile  loved  so  well. 

Often  she  would  say,  "Smile,  mother  dear,"  and 
then  kiss  the  face  of  her  darling  mother,  saying:  "Let 
us  go  west  again;  I  am  big  now  and  I  want  to  work. 
Mrs.  Smith  will  help  me  to  work  in  pictures."  A  letter 
came  from  a  picture  concern  offering  the  Woman  a  good 
paying  position.  She  summoned  her  higher  counsel  and 
was  told  to  hold  out  for  a  time.  Then  the  last  blow  came 
which  robbed  her  of  the  last  hold.  The  superintendent 
of  the  building  came  for  the  rent ;  his  courage,  however, 
failed  him  as  he  looked  into  the  keen,  sad  eyes  of  the 
Woman. 

"What  is  it  you  want  to  tell  me,  Mr.  Brook?"  she 
asked. 

He  cleared  his  throat,  then  said :  "I  am  sorry,  ma  'am, 
but  the  landlord,  who  is  a  judge,  you  know,  gave  me  or- 
ders to  tell  you  that  you  could  not  have  your  lease  re- 
newed. He  gave  strict  orders  that  no  Jews  or  mediums 
should  have  any  of  the  apartments." 

"But  he  doesn't  object  to  women  who  are  kept  here 
by  Jews!  You  used  to  ask  me  if  I  did  not  know  some 
friends  to  take  apartments  here  and  now — "  she  could 
not  continue,  for  a  curtain  closed  before  her  eyes.  "My 
work  is  done,"  she  thought. 

"I  am  sorry,"  he  said,  moved  by  her  lost  expression. 
"Personally,  I  have  no  grievances,  and  I  remember  how 
my  wife  used  to  be  stiff  with  rheumatism  and  that  after 
you  said  she  would  lose  it,  why,  it  was  gone." 

"Still,  I  have  to  move?"  she  said. 

"Such  is  the  way  of  the  world,  ma'am,  and  I  am 
sorry. ' ' 

Thus  he  left  the  shattered  plant  that  was  heartlessly 
pulled  out  of  the  ground  of  existence  where  thousands 
of  roots  hold  on  firmly  to  the  stem  that  supports  them, 


"BE  NOT  AFRAID"  291 

transmitting  the  sap  of  encouragement  each  day.  A 
judge  cast  the  blow  and  sharp  was  the  knife  that  cut 
apart  the  stem  from  the  roots  to  dry  up  the  faithful  trans- 
mission. The  Woman  stood  dazed  awhile,  her  body  be- 
coming weak ;  the  weight  of  the  cross  became  heavy  once 
more — so  heavy  that  her  shoulders  seemed  to  droop,  her 
arms  hanging  limp;  those  arms  so  strong  in  spirit  that 
fought  death  so  many  times  and  rescued  the  victims  and 
shielded  them  in  loving  embrace. 

She  walked  into  the  little  shrine  room  and  knelt 
with  outstretched  arms,  asking  for  deliverance. 

"Let  me  rest  at  Thy  feet,  oh,  Father.  I  am  footsore 
and  heartsick,  my  field  of  toil  is  changed  into  a  barren 
desert.  The  wolves  in  sheeps'  clothing  have  robbed  me 
of  the  ship  of  existence  and  I  am  on  a  raft.  But,  Thou 
merciful  Jesus  Christ,  in  whose  name  I  performed  all 
tasks  and  sacred  work,  whom  I  claim  to  be  the  compass 
in  my  ship  of  life,  let  this  storm  subside,  Thou  who  didst 
not  forsake  the  disciples  in  the  great  storm  nor  let  them 
feel  the  pangs  of  hunger.  I  loved  to  serve  Thee,  Master ; 
lead  Thou  me  on." 

The  room  suddenly  became  filled  with  light,  such 
radiant  beams  streaming  in  from  all  sides  of  the  room, 
and  from  the  center  emerged  a  Form  with  outstretched 
arms,  and  eyes  so  full  of  sympathy  and  love.  The 
Woman  held  out  her  arms  to  Him  as  He  stood  before  her 
and  in  those  eager  arms  He  placed  a  lamb.  A  glass  of 
water  was  standing  at  the  table.  He  reached  for  it  and 
as  it  came  nearer  to  the  Woman  it  turned  in  color  from 
the  transparent  fluid  to  a  red,  like  blood,  still  it  was 
transparent. 

He  held  it  to  the  Woman's  lips,  saying:  "I  will 
deliver  unto  you  which  I  also  received,  how  the  Christ 
died  for  the  sins  of  men,  to  fulfill  the  meaning  of  the 
scriptures;  That  He  was  seen  by  Cephas,  then  by  the 
twelve;  after  that  by  those  who  wish  to  see  Him.  It  is 
the  Father  who  sends  me,  the  Son,  to  bring  unto  you  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  the  Triune  God. ' '  Thus  He  gave  her  three 
swallows  of  water,  turned  to  wine,  and  filled  the  room 
with  the  sweet  presence  of  the  Holy  Guest  who  is  so  near 
in  time  of  need.  Before  the  lamb  the  Woman  held  was 


292  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

a  chalice  and  from  its  contents  emerged  a  host  in  a  light 
like  the  sun.  The  Lord  of  hosts  placed  it  on  the  tongue 
of  the  lamb-bearer ;  its  lights  seemed  to  still  shine  through 
the  frame  that  was  smitten  to  despair  just  a  few  minutes 
before.  She  rose  as  He  laid  His  hand  on  her  head,  drawn 
magnetically  up,  and  poured  once  more  the  light  of  love 
and  strength  into  her  eyes. 

Here  He  said:  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he 
that  believeth  in  me,  the  works  I  do,  shall  he  do  also; 
and  greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do,  because  I  am 
with  my  Father.  And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my 
name,  that  will  I  do  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in 
the  son.  If  ye  shall  ask  anything  in  my  name  I  will  do 
it.  If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments.  And  I  will 
pray  the  Father  and  he  shall  give  you  another  comforter 
in  thy  coming  journey  and  abide  with  you  forever.  Ever 
the  spirit  of  truth,  whom  the  world  cannot  receive  in 
flesh  when  they  have  slain  the  body  in  false  precepts,  then 
only  comes  the  awakening;  then  they  build  monuments 
and  worship  thereon,  not  to  atone  for  sin  and  endeavor  for 
betterment  but  for  the  stone  of  idol  worship,  not  for  the 
spirit.  If  the  world  would  seek  the  spirit  they  would 
see  the  spirit.  They  don't  know  the  spirit  and  condemn 
the  one  that  holds  the  key  to  the  very  throne  of  heaven. 
Thou  knowest  him  and  thou  believest  in  him ;  he  therefore 
livest  within  thy  being  and  rulest  the  house  thou  livest 
in. 

"I  will  not  leave  thee  comfortless.  I  will  come  to 
thee.  They  who  have  my  commandments  and  keep  them, 
they  are  the  ones  that  love  me  and  she  that  loveth  me 
shall  be  loved  by  my  Father  and  I  will  love  her  and  will 
manifest  myself  to  her.  The  stem  is  cut  from  the  root, 
but  the  stem  has  borne  many  seeds  that  have  been  carried 
by  the  wind  of  good  counsel.  They  will  thrive  on  a  dif- 
ferent field  of  a  greater  part,  in  masses,  not  individuals. 
Like  the  leaves  from  the  tree,  so  the  leaves  in  the  book 
will  find  new  soil  in  the  minds  of  the  multitudes  and 
drive  them  to  a  higher  aspect  of  self-denial  in  truth  to 
abide.  Thus  the  pilgrims  form  through  the  pages  of  past 
sorrows  and  the  good  ship  of  salvation  will  cut  through 
the  waves  to  rescue  the  souls  from  their  watery  graves. 


"BE  NOT  AFBAID"  293 

Some  sleep  from  exhaustion,  some  struggling  still;  every 
one  has  a  chance  if  he  will.  Take  thy  lamb  of  patience 
and  follow  my  footsteps  to  help  my  brother-man.  For 
some  one  prays  for  each  on  earth  and  prayers  must  be 
answered.  It  is  the  will  of  the  Father." 

When  the  great  host  ceased  speaking  an  unaccount- 
able white-and-silver  cloud  seemed  to  surround  that  radi- 
ant form  of  salvation,  then  a  great  choir  rang  out,  first  in 
clear,  angelic  voices  that  became  fainter  as  the  heavenly 
visitors  moved  higher  to  fill  the  universe  with  songs  of 
praise  and  harmony:  "Ecce  panis  Angelorum,  Factus 
cibus  viatorum ;  Vere  panis  filiorum,  Non  mittendus  cam- 
bus.  In  figuris  praesignatur ;  quum  Isaac  immolatur. 
Agnus  Paschae  deputatur,  Datur  manna  Patribus." 


CHAPTER  XLII 
THE   LAST   SITTING   AND   MATEEIALIZATION 

The  summer  was  nearing  its  end.  September  19th 
was  the  medium's  birthday;  she  baked  cake  and  invited 
all  her  friends  to  have  coffee  and  cake  after  the  sitting. 
There  were  some  of  the  greatest  scientists  present  to  com- 
mune or  to  be  convinced  of  life  after  death.  Some  sat 
on  the  floor  for  lack  of  chairs  but  they  knew  it  was  the 
last  time  they  would  get  a  message  in  that  blessed  place 
and  did  not  mind  how  uncomfortable  their  seat  was.  The 
room  was  darkened  and  the  spirit  lights  flitted  about  like 
glowworms ;  some  shot  across  the  room  like  comets.  Sad- 
ness prevailed  among  both  the  living  and  the  departed. 
A  house  was  being  closed;  its  magnet  taken  away  for 
another  purpose.  Uncountable  embraces  have  closed  to 
their  bosom  a  hungry  heart  and  a  seeking  soul  to  install 
a  new  road  sign  that  leads  to  the  gates  of  everlasting  life, 
pointed  out  by  those  who  know  and  have  learned  the 
lesson  to  overcome  the  material  desire  of  an  eye  for  an 
eye  and  ill-gotten  wealth  that  leads  to  despotism  and 
destruction. 

"Shall  we  get  a  chance  to  hear  you  again?"  asked 
many  a  one  in  communication. 

"Yes,  we  are  always  with  you;  time  will  wear  out 
the  veil  that  once  seemed  so  dark  and  heavy  and  your 
continuous  endeavor  to  see  and  believe  wears  out  the  dust 
that  makes  the  veil  impenetrable.  Your  tears  of  anguish 
wash  white  the  sail  of  that  ship  of  life  and  in  due  time 
you  will  open  that  psychic  sight  to  just  as  clear  a  view 
as  the  outlook  toward  the  clear  sky  when  you  behold 
all  the  light  that  first  brought  life;  and  that  as  long  as 
light  exists  life  exists,  as  they  are  embodied,  one  depend- 
ing on  the  other.  Your  light  that  shines  from  within, 
is  part  of  the  light  that  shines  from  above  connected 
with  planetary  magnetic  threads  to  the  great  star  that 
shines  always,  but  mostly  when  the  earth  turns  darkest. 
Never  condemn  the  one  who  has  lost  his  claim  to  such 
an  inheritance,  for  they  live  to  buy  what  glitters  and 


THE  LAST  SITTING  AND  MATERIALIZATION  295 

know  not  that  the  greatest  of  all  diamonds  shines  for 
each  one. 

"The  merciful  creator  has  well  arranged  all  claims. 
The  lowest  shall  be  the  highest,  for  in  sorrow  the  soul 
doth  grow  and  reach  for  the  higher  aspect,  thus  staking 
his  claim  with  renewed  labor  each  day  on  the  ethereal 
field,  above  the  hail  and  thunder,  above  the  greed  and 
power  to  rule.  There  is  enough  gold  for  every  one  who 
lives.  Each  day  the  last  rays  of  the  greatest  planet  are 
like  the  great  light  from  a  mother's  loving  eyes.  The 
sun,  when  saying  good  night,  wishes  you  to  retire  with 
a  golden  blanket ;  she  covers  the  earth  to  sleep  and  wakes 
it  up  again  with  a  glow  mingled  with  all  colors.  The 
warm  beams  remove  the  blanket  and  wake  up  all  nature's 
inhabitants  to  act  and  strive  in  peace  and  to  live  the  life 
of  the  just.  Those  who  disregard  these  laws  soon  become 
unnatural ;  they  must  resort  to  artificial  ways  in  order  to 
achieve  the  gifts  which  are  so  abundantly  given  in  a 
measure  called  law.  There  has  never  lived  one  human 
being  that  could  command  and  change  that  law.  No 
matter  how  powerful  and  mighty  he  was,  he  had  to  even- 
tually submit  to  the  law  and  succumb  in  flesh.  This  all 
confirms  to  you  that  there  is  one  law,  one  ruler,  one  re- 
ligion ;  abide  by  these  three :  The  law  of  God  in  Nature, 
the  law  to  respect  everything  good  that  leads  to  whole- 
someness  in  universal  brotherhood."  Thus  concluded  the 
lesson. 

It  was  midnight  when  they  were  about  to  close  but 
the  medium  said,  "I  feel  a  strong  power  that  wishes  to 
manifest."  She  began  to  sing  softly,  "Lead,  Kindly 
Light,  Amid  The  Encircling  Gloom."  All  joined  in  the 
soft,  melodious  song,  when  suddenly  in  the  middle  of  the 
floor  a  white  cloud  became  visible.  It  rose,  became  larger 
and  then  they  all  saw  an  arm  emerge;  then  another. 
Soon  a  form  stood  clad  in  robes  like  little  stars.  She 
walked  around  greeting  everyone  and  speaking  to  each. 
As  she  walked  a  crown  materialized  on  her  head.  It 
glittered  with  beautiful  jewels. 

She  came  over  to  the  medium  and  gave  her  the  sign 
and  blessing  of  the  East,  saying:  "I,  too,  fought  and 
won;  that  deed  still  grows  in  the  minds  of  mankind. 


296 

Love  ye  one  another,"  then  closed  the  veil.  A  moment 
later  it  opened  again,  the  form,  however,  stood  plainly 
visible  to  all  assembled,  but  the  head  changed.  A  man 
stood  there ;  a  beard  in  grizzly  form  was  seen ;  the  crown 
too  had  changed.  It  seemed  like  Solomon,  the  wise  and 
just.  The  veil  closed  once  more  and  only  the  head 
changed.  Another  face,  the  crown  changed  into  a  golden 
band  around  the  head.  It  was  Joseph.  Thus  the  forms 
came,  changing  rapidly,  but  so  true  to  existence  that  all 
knew  they  were  truly  there  to  help  lead  them  on.  The 
mother  of  the  medium  came  last. 

"Oh,  my  good  mother,"  she  said,  quite  overcome, 
" where  shall  I  go?" 

"We  will  lead  you  west  again.  Your  body  needs 
the  rest,  it  worked  overtime  and  you  have  sought  enough 
to  reach  the  individual.  After  you  have  rested,  you  must 
get  stronger  so  as  to  reach  the  masses." 

They  had  opened  the  shade  by  the  window  to  let 
the  light  in,  so  they  could  see  more  clearly.  As  the  form 
passed  the  light  those  on  the  opposite  side  saw  the  trans- 
parent figure  touch  her  hard-tested  child  and  kiss  her. 
"The  eye  of  the  Father  sees  all,"  she  said,  and  disap- 
peared in  the  middle  of  the  room  that  was  dark  once 
more,  but  soon  a  great  light  became  visible,  coming  from 
the  ceiling  and  formed  into  an  eye. 

Thus  closed  the  last  sitting  the  medium  held  to  serve 
on  the  table  of  spirit  communion.  It  will  never  be  for- 
gotten by  those  who  attended.  It  must  be  mentioned 
that  there  was  more  than  one  medium  present  and  the 
power  of  faith  showed  well  its  value.  The  friends  of  the 
Woman  were  not  inclined  to  let  her  go  and  tried  hard  to 
arrange  for  a  new  home,  but  her  health  failed,  as  was 
mentioned  previously,  and  they  were  satisfied  to  let  her 
take  a  vacation,  with  the  hope  of  seeing  her  back  at  her 
post  in  due  time.  Each  one  of  the  members  bought  some- 
thing of  the  household,  so  the  blessed  articles  would  hold 
the  power  for  them.  Thus  we  find  the  Woman  with  her 
child,  now  taller  than  her  mother,  at  the  station  for  the 
third  time.  They  are  going  west,  hoping  to  heal  the  torn 
wounds  so  unmercifully  rendered  by  her  brothers — Man. 


"And  we  stand  between  heaven   and  earth,  mother  dear,  to  lead  God's 
breath  into  hungry  souls." — Page  325. 


CHAPTER  XLIII 

SISTER  EITA 

Ronile  still  carried  her  little  doll,  dressed  like  a 
Dominican  sister.  Rita  was  her  name,  which  was  sym- 
bolic of  the  lost  for  a  happy  homecoming.  Mrs.  Delien 
at  one  time  donated  a  huge  basket  of  her  flowers  to  a 
Bazaar  given  in  New  York  for  European  war  victims. 
Ronile  sold  chances  and  stationed  herself  near  the  doll 
booth  and  noticed  among  the  many  faces,  so  fairy-like 
to  children,  one  with  just  a  sweet  little  face  looking  out 
from  under  a  Sister's  headgear.  She  pushed  her  way 
through  the  crowd  and  finding  her  mother,  told  her  with 
eyes  gleaming  with  excitement  of  the  discovery. 

"Mother  dear,  I  found  the  most  wonderful  doll  in 
the  world!  A  Sister  doll,  all  dressed  in  white  with  the 
cutest  little  rosary  hanging  down  its  side." 

"But,  my  dear,"  said  her  mother,  "I  have  spent  all 
the  spare  money  I  had  for  material  to  make  this  basket 
and  now  I  have  not  the  price  for  anything. ' ' 

"It  may  not  cost  much,  mother,  and  I  love  her  face! 
Oh,  she  looked  like  a  Sister  of  Mercy."  She  clasped  her 
hands  in  prayer — the  little  hands  that  sat  untiringly 
twisting  the  little  bits  of  silk  into  wonderful  flowers,  but 
which  had  no  money  to  get  a  Sister  doll.  They  walked 
back  just  in  time  to  see  a  purchaser  for  the  doll.  A  cry 
of  anguish  came  from  Ronile,  who  had  set  her  heart  on 
it. 

"Please  don't  buy  that  doll,"  she  said,  trying  hard 
to  suppress  the  tears  that  were  rising.  "Dear  Mother  of 
Jesus,  help  me  get  the  doll, ' '  she  whispered  in  her  distress. 
Hearing  this,  the  mother  told  the  lady  to  lay  it  aside. 
But  the  other  person  seemed  to  ponder  on  the  choice  of 
the  doll.  "I  will  pay  five  dollars,"  she  said. 

' '  And  my  mother  will  pay  six ! ' '  said  Ronile,  almost 
out  of  her  mind  from  fear  of  losing  the  doll. 

"You  shall  have  it,"  said  the  booth  attendant,  "for 
you  deserve  it,  trying  so  hard  to  sell  chances." 

"I  made  all  those  violets  and  forget-me-nots  and 


298  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

lilies  of  the  valley,"  said  Ronile  in  a  tone  which  meant 
to  make  them  understand  that  she  had  earned  it,  as  she 
hugged  the  doll  close  to  her  and  kissed  the  lips  of  the 
merciful  Sister  Rita.  "I  never  want  to  lose  you,"  she 
whispered,  "and  don't  you  lose  me." 

Going  home  that  night  she  told  her  mother,  when 
they  walked  the  many  blocks  from  the  96th  Street  Sub- 
way, that  she  was  satisfied  with  her  doll  and  not  to  buy 
anything  for  her  for  Christmas. 

"It  was  really  more  money  than  I  could  spare,  dear," 
said  her  mother.  "I  had  only  two  dollars  and  now  we 
have  a  debt  and  must  pay  it. ' ' 

"I  will  pay  it,  mother,  with  the  money  in  my  bank," 
said  Ronile,  which  she  did.  This  is  the  way  Sister  Rita 
happened  to  come  into  Ronile 's  possession,  and  every 
time  they  came  to  Chicago,  Sister  Rita  was  sitting  on  the 
top  of  the  luggage. 

It  was  the  first  Sunday  in  October,  when  they  arrived 
once  more  in  Chicago.  Their  good  friends  were  at  the 
station  with  a  beautiful  touring  car  to  receive  the  two 
wanderers  once  more  on  the  road  of  life  without  a  des- 
tination. They  laughed  heartily  as  they  saw  Ronile  run- 
ning toward  them,  bundles  on  all  sides,  and  Sister  Rita 
under  her  arm,  her  veil  hanging  over  her  face  as  if  to 
hide  in  shame  because  her  feet  were  sticking  out  in  the 
back,  her  dress  too  far  above  her  knees,  a  very  shocking 
and  unfair  position  for  a  modest  little  lady  like  Sister 
Rita  to  be  placed  in.  However,  Ronile  did  not  notice 
the  sad  predicament  of  her  darling  Sister  of  Mercy.  She 
shook  her  bundles  in  an  effort  to  greet  the  rapidly  ap- 
proaching friends.  In  that  action,  Sister  Rita's  feet 
shook  as  if  to  free  herself  from  the  arm  of  her  mistress 
by  the  wave  of  her  veil  and  the  shaking  of  her  exposed, 
stiff  little  feet. 

"Well,  well,"  said  Ronile 's  uncle,  as  he  tried  to  lift 
that  great  big  girl,  and  grabbing  the  poor  doll's  head  in 
the  attempt.  "Have  you  not  outgrown  the  doll  stage 
yet?" 

"No,"  came  the  answer,  "I  will  never  part  with  my 
dear  Sister;  she  always  smiles  the  same  good,  cheery 
smile. ' ' 


SISTER  RITA  299 

"You  will  never  catch  a  beau  as  long  as  you  have 
her  under  your  arm,"  he  kept  on,  smiling. 

"Now  stop!"  said  his  wife.  "You  will  make  her 
think  of  what  really  should  be  kept  away  from  her  as 
long  as  possible." 

He  sized  her  up  and  said  to  his  wife :  "If  she  keeps 
on  she  will  never  need  to  worry  about  getting  the  right 
one.  Every  time  she  comes  she  looks  prettier.  I  see  her 
growing  fast  into  womanhood,"  he  said,  "and  good-by 
boys  in  a  year  or  two;  she  will  play  havoc  with  their 
hearts." 

"How  are  the  Waters?"  asked  Mrs.  Delien,  as  their 
car  swiftly  purred  along  the  shores  of  the  lake  with 
church  bells  sounding  in  the  distance. 

"Why,  they  are  in  California.  Albert  is  conducting 
a  large  hotel,"  came  their  delighted  exclamation. 

"I  am  so  happy  to  hear  that,"  said  Mrs.  Delien. 
"It  seems  good  to  hear  that  some  people  get  along  ma- 
terially." 

Frank  looked  at  the  Woman  with  an  anxious  expres- 
sion, "I  see  they  are  very  strict  with  mediums  in  New 
York. ' '  He  wanted  to  express  his  warm  feeling  of  friend- 
ship and  sympathy  regarding  her  misfortune,  but  could 
not  just  find  the  right  words  to  convey  them.  He  looked 
at  his  wife  for  help.  She  shrugged  her  shoulders,  then 
looked  at  the  Woman  at  her  side  with  a  worried  expres- 
sion. The  good,  humorous  Frank  could  not  feel  quite 
at  ease  to  see  the  little  form  cowering  in  the  corner  of 
the  spacious  car,  looking  lost  and  hopeless  across  the 
clear  mirror  of  water. 

"Say!   What  are  you  dreaming  about?"  he  shouted. 

The  Woman  jumped  a  little  out  of  her  reverie  at  the 
sound  of  his  voice,  then  smiled  contentedly.  ' '  Oh,  I  was 
just  digesting  the  sound  of  the  church  bells  and  was 
talking  to  our  Father." 

"Still,"  said  Frank,  "after  all  you  experienced?" 
He  found  his  connection  and  was  bound  to  let  her  know 
that  as  long  as  we  have  no  wings,  we  should  not  attempt 
to  fly,  and  told  her  that.  "See,"  he  said,  "we  may  fall 
in  the  attempt."  He  felt  his  remark  was  somewhat  se- 
vere, so  tried  to  use  a  more  lenient  flow  of  speech. 


300  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Gosh,"  he  said.  "Is  it  that  Ronile  has  grown  so  tall, 
or  have  you  shrunk?  You  sure  look  smaller  than  I  ever 
saw  you." 

"Well,"  said  Ronile,  seeing  her  mother's  hurt  ex- 
pression at  Frank's  previous  remark  of  flying  too  high, 
"Mother  has  been  ill  all  the  way,  uncle,  and  is  not  well 
yet.  Last  night,  she  was  as  cold  as  ice  and  I  rubbed  her 
a  long  time.  I  could  not  even  feel  her  pulse."  They 
were  at  the  door  by  this  time.  The  house  was  on  Kenmore 
Avenue.  "You  live  in  a  lovely  house,  now,"  cried  Ronile, 
happily,  as  she  sized  up  the  spacious  hall.  When  they 
entered  the  smaller  hall,  Ronile  ran  to  Hansy,  the  canary. 
She  spoke  to  the  little  bird  and  he  chirped  back  and  bit 
into  her  finger. 

"What  do  you  think  of  that?"  said  Frank,  "he  never 
does  that  for  us  and  it  is  three  years  since  he  saw  her  and 
he  remembers  her ;  does  the  same  stunts  to  her,  the  little 
rascal! " 


CHAPTER  XLIV 

"BIMBI" 

"What  did  you  do  with  your  bird?"  he  asked.  "I 
hear  you  had  him  trained  to  wear  a  little  hood."  Ronile 
was  not  easily  forced  into  a  crying  spell,  and  Frank  could 
not  recall  ever  having  seen  her  cry,  but  she  walked  away 
into  the  other  room  and  wept  to  break  her  heart.  Mrs. 
Delien  then  told  how  she  bought  the  bird  from  the  super- 
intendent of  the  house,  and  when  they  went  for  a  week- 
end trip  Mr.  Brook  would  take  charge  of  Bimbi,  the  bird. 
There  was  a  lady  living  in  the  same  house  by  the  name 
of  Mrs.  Jorgensen,  who  met  Ronile  on  the  stairs  taking 
the  bird  down  to  the  basement.  She  begged  Ronile  to 
let  her  take  care  of  Bimbi,  as  she  often  stood  by  the  door 
and  listened  to  his  wonderful  singing.  The  friends  from 
Summit,  New  Jersey,  were  waiting  for  them  downstairs, 
so  Ronile  gave  the  neighbor  the  bird  and  went  for  him 
on  Monday  morning.  "I  did  not  like  the  idea,  and  told 
Ronile  that  I  had  a  presentiment  that  no  good  could  come 
out  of  it.  However,  Ronile,  with  childish  faith  in  the 
good  of  mankind,  believed  Bimbi  to  be  happier  up  in  the 
sunny  corner  apartment  than  in  the  basement.  On  Mon- 
day, about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  we  re- 
turned from  the  country,  we  saw  a  crowd  of  people  stand- 
ing on  the  park  side,  looking  into  the  trees.  Mr.  Brook 
had  a  large  cage  on  a  high  stepladder,  and  was  trying  to 
coax  the  bird  into  it.  Ronile  saw  the  crowd  first  and  ran 
across  the  street  and  before  I  knew  it  she  was  among  the 
crowd,  calling,  'Bimbi!  Come,  my  precious  darling 
birdie.'  Bimbi  was  up  in  the  tree  and  at  the  sound  of 
her  voice  flew  down  toward  her,  but  the  crowd  frightened 
him  and  he  flew  away.  '  How  long  has  he  been  up  there  ? ' 
I  said  to  Mr.  Brook.  'Oh,  about  three  hours,  I  am 
afraid/  he  said,  'in  the  heat  and  he  has  no  water  to  drink 
— too  bad.'  Then  I  told  the  crowd  to  disperse,  which 
they  did,  and  we  went  upstairs  into  our  shrine  room  and 
prayed.  Then  Ronile  climbed  out  on  the  fire-escape  and 


302  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

called.  Soon  Bimbi  came  flying  over  to  Ronile  and  she 
picked  him  up  and  brought  him  in. 

"  'See,  mother,'  she  said,  'you  did  not  have  to  give 
those  boys  a  dollar  and  a  half  to  climb  the  tree  and 
frighten  poor  Bimbi  more. ' 

"  'You  are  a  sad  sight,'  I  said  to  Bimbi,  as  I  held 
the  little  fly-away  and  wiped  the  dirt  from  his  wings. 
Konile  had  gone  upstairs  to  get  his  cage. 

"Mrs.  Jorgensen  came  down  crying  that  she  was  so 
sorry,  and  said,  'Now  you  will  never  let  me  have  him 
again. ' 

"  'Perhaps,'  said  Ronile,  'you  could  not  help  it,  and 
you  can  have  him  when  we  go  away  again.' 

"We  furnished  all  of  Bimbi 's  food,  and  when  the 
furniture  left,"  here  the  Woman  gave  a  deep  sigh,  "why 
Bimbi  was  lost  in  the  bare  rooms,  so  Ronile  left  him  up- 
stairs until  the  morning  of  our  departure.  When  all  was 
ready  she  went  to  get  her  bird  to  take  along.  Mrs. 
Jorgensen  cruelly  refused  to  let  her  have  the  bird,  saying 
Ronile  had  given  it  to  her. 

"Ronile  came  running  down,  broken-hearted,  crying 
in  choking  sobs,  'Mrs.  Jor — gen — sen  re — fused  to  give 
me  my  Bimbi.'  I  went  up  and  the  wicked  woman  flew 
at  me  with  a  mountain  of  reproaches,  saying  she  would 
rather  let  him  fly  out  of  the  window. 

"  'What  do  you  think  I  spend  my  time  for?'  she 
shrieked. 

"  'I  will  pay  you,  madam,  but  for  the  sake  of  the 
child's  faith  in  the  good  of  mankind,  give  her  back  the 
bird,'  I  said. 

"  'Yes,'  shrieked  the  other,  'faith,  faith!  You  fakir 
and  fortune-teller. ' 

"Just  then  her  husband  came  on  the  scene.  I  ap- 
pealed to  him,  saying,  'Here  are  ten  dollars  for  your 
trouble  in  keeping  the  only  pet  my  daughter  had,  and 
trusted  you  with.'  There  was  no  human  expression  in 
either  of  their  faces — animals,  I  thought.  Mrs.  Jorgensen 
at  that  time  had  a  face  like  a  rat,  her  upper  teeth  pro- 
truding in  a  vicious  attempt  to  bite;  her  husband's  face 
was  broad  and  stubby  with  watery  eyes,  making  him  look 
like  a  bulldog. 


"BIMBI"  303 

"  'Keep  your  ghost  money,'  he  sneered,  'God  only 
knows  how  you  earned  it  in  letting  all  those  men  into 
your  ghost  room.' 

' '  '  Yes,  God  knows,  and  may  He  forgive  you, '  I  said. 

"I  looked  over  at  poor  Bimbi  and  wanted  to  walk 
over  and  say  good-by  to  him,  but  both  stood  by  the  cage. 
Bimbi  hopped  on  top  of  the  swing  and  chirped  his  fare- 
well. I  said,  'Bimbi,  I  hope  you  can  rap  on  their  soul 
with  every  sound  you  utter  henceforth,  and  remind  them 
how  they  stole  you  from  your  loving  little  Ronile.'  ' 

Tears  came  rolling  down  the  Woman's  cheeks  as  she 
related  the  sad  experience. 

' '  What  is  his  business  ? ' '  inquired  Frank.  "  I  '11  have 
the  law  get  after  a  man  like  that;  why,  that  is  getting 
some  one's  else  property  under  false  pretenses." 

"He  works  as  a  camera  man  in  the  movies,"  said 
Mrs.  Delien,  "but  please  don't  bother,  the  law  of  justice 
will  take  care  of  that." 

"How  do  you  like  our  little  place?"  asked  Frank's 
wife;  "it  is  just  what  we  wanted." 

"Yes,  it  is,  but  too  small  for  visitors." 

"Well,  Frank  dear,"  said  the  wife,  "they  can  spend 
all  day  with  us  and  sleep  in  the  other  place." 

' '  Did  you  not  find  an  apartment  for  us  ? "  asked  Mrs. 
Delien. 

"Oh,  my  dear,  we  looked  all  over,  there  is  nothing 
to  be  found,  but  we  have  a  lovely  room  and  bath  for  you 
with  a  widow ;  she  goes  to  business  and  is  nice  and  quiet. ' ' 

' '  Suppose  we  take  all  the  things  up  there  before  din- 
ner," said  Frank. 


CHAPTER  XLV 

THE  GEEATEST  CEEED 

' '  Well,  how  do  you  like  it  ? "  he  asked,  as  they  placed 
the  trunks  that  had  just  arrived. 

"Immensely,"  replied  the  grateful  visitor.  "But  it 
is  not  for  working." 

"You  don't  expect  to  work?  You  must  rest  at  least 
a  month,"  he  said.  So  she  did. 

The  next  time  Frank's  wife  met  the  landlady  she 
asked  her  how  she  liked  her  New  York  friends. 

"I  never  see  them,"  said  the  other.  "I  come  here 
before  they  get  up,  but  I  see  they  have  a  Sister  doll  sitting 
on  the  bed.  I  hope  they  are  not  Catholics." 

"What  difference  would  that  make,"  asked  Frank's 
wife  sharply,  "if  they  are  respectable?" 

"Well,  I  am  a  Scientist  and  the  same  people  always 
live  with  me,"  said  the  other. 

"Well,  if  the  dress  of  a  poor  little  doll  changes  your 
opinion  of  people's  character  or  religion  you  had  better 
ask  Mrs.  Delien  about  it.  I  have  known  the  lady  for 
eighteen  years  and  never  worried  in  what  way  she  serves 
her  Maker.  All  I  know  is  that  as  long  as  I  have  known 
her  she  has  been  respectable  and  supported  herself  and 
child  honorably." 

"I  don't  doubt  that  for  a  minute,"  said  the  other, 
somewhat  smitten;  "I  only  wondered  because  she  has 
the  Aquarian  Gospel  also  and  that  surely  is  not  Catholic. ' ' 

"Don't  my  friends  suit  you?" 

' '  Oh,  yes,  they  do ;  I  only  asked  an  innocent  question, 
that  is  all." 

"Well,  keep  your  innocent  thoughts  and  don't  bother 
about  the  question,"  said  Frank's  wife,  and  left. 

Four  weeks  passed.  Mrs.  Delien  recovered  rapidly 
and  wondered  where  the  great  good  Gardener  would  find 
soil  to  plant  her.  It  was  Sunday  morning,  and  was  rain- 
ing. Ronile  walked  into  the  hall  to  call  up  Uncle  Frank 
to  let  him  know  they  were  ready  for  him  to  get  them  in 
the  machine.  A  knock  came  at  the  door  and  Mrs.  Delien 


THE  GREATEST  CREED  305 

found  her  landlady  inquiring  how  they  felt  in  her  lone- 
some place. 

"Of  course,  you  are  never  here  during  the  day,  so 
that  breaks  the  monotony.  Say,  I  wondered  and  won- 
dered when  I  dusted  your  room,"  pointing  to  the  doll, 
Sister  Rita,  and  the  Book;  "these  two  don't  fit." 

"Perhaps  not  in  your  mind,"  came  the  answer  from 
Mrs.  Delien.  "All  things  are  placed  by  conditions  made 
by  the  Omniscient  Creator." 

Ronile  came  back  saying,  "Uncle  is  still  in  bed  and 
said  to  call  a  taxi." 

"No,  we  will  walk,"  said  Mrs.  Delien. 

"But  you  will  get  wet,"  interrupted  the  landlady. 

"We  don't  mind  the  rain,  as  the  same  power  that 
created  us  has  made  the  rain,  and  we  love  it — the  clear, 
soothing  drops — it  cannot  harm  us  if  we  don 't  accept  it  in 
a  harmful  mood." 

' '  Why,  you  talk  like  a  Scientist ! ' '  said  the  other. 
"What  are  you,  anyway?" 

"One  of  God's  children,  your  sister,"  came  the  an- 
swer. 

"Don't  you  belong  to  any  particular  creed  or  faith?" 

"Yes,  we  belong  to  the  oldest  faith  and  the  oldest 
church,  built  in  ourselves.  The  foundation  is  faith  in 
one  another,  the  walls  are  shields  of  mercy  for  our  brother 
man  and  the  religion  is  universal  love  in  the  welfare  of 
the  brotherhood  of  man.  That  is  the  best  way  we  can 
please  our  Father  in  keeping  His  commandments,  Love 
Ye  One  Another." 

"Say,"  said  the  landlady,  "I  will  call  up  my  friend. 
He  can  take  you  along  on  his  way ;  he  often  picks  me  up. " 

"No,  no,  thanks,  we  will  not  accept  the  kind  offer. 
Your  friend  is  a  married  man." 

"Who  told  you  that?"  asked  the  eager  landlady. 

"Your  husband." 

' '  But  my  husband  is  dead ! ' ' 

"Yes,  he  has  departed,  but  is  not  dead,"  came  the 
answer.  Then  the  medium  told  her  the  name  of  the 
husband,  how  long  he  had  left  his  body  and  the  cause  of 
his  spirit  departure. 


306  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"My,  that  is  interesting;  how  does  my  husband 
look?" 

"He  was  a  Swede,"  came  the  answer,  and  walking 
into  her  drawing-room,  she  pointed  out  his  picture  among 
many.  "Here,"  she  said  as  she  walked  over  to  a  group- 
picture,  "is  your  family  in  Wales."  She  even  spoke  the 
sentence  in  dialect. 

"You  said  that  just  like  my  husband  did,"  said  the 
widow  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  ' '  My,  you  are  a  wonderful 
woman ! ' '  she  kept  on. 

The  medium  laid  her  hands  on  the  other's  shoulders 
and  looked  lovingly  into  her  eyes,  saying,  "Now,  my 
dear,  you  will  not  wonder  about  Sister  Rita  and  the 
Aquarian  Gospel;  you  will  have  something  else  to  think 
about." 

"I  hope,"  came  the  beseeching  reply,  "that  you  will 
not  limit  your  message  from  my  dear  husband." 

"I  will  tell  you  all  you  should  know  and  for  today 
it  is  all  you  can  stand  to  balance  evenly  the  scale  of  justice 
in  dealing  with  mankind."  They  walked  out  into  the 
rain  and  breathed  deeply  the  moist  air  and  cooling 
draught — the  blessing  of  the  Father. 

"Well,"  said  Frank  in  the  afternoon,  "this  is  no  day 
for  joy-riding. ' '  He  yawned  lazily,  then  said :  ' ' Now  you 
quit  writing,  otherwise  my  whole  day  is  gone.  What  is 
it  that  is  so  important  today?" 

"Oh,"  replied  Mrs!  Delien,  "I  wrote  to  the  Waters, 
and  told  them  we  were  coming  to  San  Francisco,  and  will 
start  next  Sunday." 

"What?  You  are  leaving?" 

"Yes,  I  don't  find  a  suitable  place ;  everything  is  high 
here  and  in  San  Francisco  we  can  live  in  our  old  home 
much  cheaper." 

' '  Could  you  not  give  tests  here  ? "  he  asked. 

"Oh,  she  tried,"  said  the  wife,  "but  I  did  not  want 
to  tell  you  about  it.  We  went  one  evening  to  the  West 
Side  with  a  lady  who  belongs  to  a  class  there  and  the 
medium  would  not  let  us  in  because  we  were  not  members. 
But  Mrs.  Delien  told  her  if  she  was  a  good  medium  she 
would  see  that  we  came  with  good  intentions.  You  should 
have  seen  how  she  spoke  up  and  told  her  of  the  guides 


THE  GREATEST  CREED  307 

that  were  around  and  it  was  acknowledged  by  the  mem- 
bers that  Mrs.  Delien  was  right  and  you  know,  Frank, 
she  told  each  one  what  ailed  them." 

"Spare  me,"  said  Frank,  who  had  no  use  for  that 
kind  of  stuff,  as  he  called  it.  "What  is  that  place?  A 
dump  where  people  discard  their  trouble?" 

"Some  take  it  that  way,"  joined  in  Mrs.  Delien. 
"Some  bring  help  and  others  take  it." 

"I  suppose,"  said  Frank,  "she  did  not  object  to  your 
giving  tests  to  her  class?" 

"No,"  said  his  wife,  "she  told  her  members  that 
they  were  having  a  treat  and  to  appreciate  it." 

"What  did  she  pay  you?"  he  asked,  looking  at  Mrs. 
Delien. 

"I  did  not  go  for  earthly  gain,"  she  replied. 

"But  you  worked  to  serve  God  and  man!  If  medi- 
ums hold  the  key  to  heaven,  which  some  claim,  then  that 
other  medium  should  have  lent  you  a  hand  in  getting 
established. ' ' 

"It  was  not  the  wish  of  the  Father,  as  He  wants  me 
to  work  in  other  fields." 

"I  say  so,"  said  his  wife,  "and  if  I  can  help  it  you 
will  not  give  another  test.  Your  heart  is  weak.  Why, 
when  we  came  home  she  fainted." 

"Oh,  that  was  the  time!"  said  Frank.  "I  tell  you, 
little  woman,  you  have  done  your  share  of  scrubbing  in 
the  reformatory  of  life;  resort  to  other  means;  write  or 
make  flowers ;  but  the  other  work  will  bring  you  to  your 
grave  before  your  time. ' ' 

"Oh,  but  when  the  time  comes  for  the  body  to  enter 
the  grave,"  said  the  Woman,  "my  field  of  toil  will  be  in 
the  harvest  time  and  all  those  that  I  helped  to  ease  the 
burden  will  work  on  that  Field  of  Deity  and  welcome  me 
home. ' ' 

' '  What  did  she  tell  the  other  medium  ? ' '  asked  Frank 
of  his  wife. 

"You  should  have  been  there;  she  told  her  if  she 
wanted  God's  presence  to  conduct  her  sittings  in  the  best 
room  of  her  house  and  not  in  the  cellar  with  nothing  but 
the  furnace  and  ashes  as  ornaments." 

"It  is  a  shame,"  said  Frank,  "that  just  you  should 


308  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

pay  such  a  price  and  never  ask  a  cent  from  anybody, 
and  those  who  use  this  science  for  just  a  money-making 
scheme  are  free  to  get  it  under  false  pretenses." 

"Some  must  ask  for  pay  to  live,"  said  the  medium. 
"I  often  felt  weary  when  healthy,  prosperous  looking 
young  men  came  to  see  me  to  get  my  time  and  comfort, 
then  left  without  considering  that  I  was  weak  afterwards 
— to  do  something  else  in  order  to  live." 

"That's  why  you  are  foolish,"  said  Frank  impatient- 
ly, "to  waste  good,  valuable  time." 

"God  rules  my  disposition,"  she  said,  "and  every 
day's  work  is  laid  out  for  me;  I  do  His  will." 

"So  you  don't  think  you  could  stay?"  he  kept  on, 
"I  don't  like  to  see  you  go  West  again." 

"But  I  want  to  go,"  said  Ronile,  "I  love  California." 

"No,  you  won't  until  you  have  painted  Trixie." 
That  was  his  fox  terrier. 

"How  can  I?"  asked  Ronile.  "She  will  not  sit  quiet 
for  one  minute." 

"Why  don't  you  get  a  quiet  impression  in  your 
mind  ? ' '  asked  her  mother.  ' '  Call  on  your  guide ;  he  will 
help  you." 

After  awhile  Frank's  wife  took  Ronile  aside  and  told 
her  of  her  uncle 's  birthday  the  following  Wednesday,  and 
to  try  to  have  the  picture  for  him. 

' '  I  will, ' '  said  Ronile  and  came  back. 

"Now,  Ronile,"  said  Frank,  "look  at  that  beautiful 
lamp  shade,  with  all  the  fairies  and  birds  and  flowers, 
that  you  made;  it  ought  to  be  easy  to  paint  poor  old 
Trixie." 

Going  to  bed  Ronile  prayed  for  an  inspiration,  and 
suddenly  a  golden  light  shot  across  the  room;  a  face  be- 
came visible.  "Rembrandt!"  Ronile  cried.  She  reached 
out  her  hands  and  clasped  them  together,  then  fell  fast 
asleep. 

"What  did  Rembrandt  tell  you,  dear?"  asked  her 
mother  as  they  were  dressing  next  morning,  earlier  than 
usual. 

"Oh,  mother,  he  said  to  sit  this  morning  from  ten 
to  twelve  and  from  two  to  four  in  the  afternoon." 

"  I  am  very  happy,  dear, ' '  said  her  mother, ' '  that  you 


THE  GREATEST  CREED  309 

understood  him  for  I,  too,  heard  him  say  it.  So  that  is 
why  you  woke  up  yourself  this  morning." 

"Yes,  mother  dear,  we  want  to  take  a  walk  along 
the  lake  to  get  strength." 

At  ten  o'clock  Ronile  had  everything  ready  in  the 
sun  parlor,  where  Trixie  took  her  nap  after  her  run  on 
the  beach.  This  gave  Ronile  a  chance  to  sketch  her.  At 
twelve  o'clock  Trixie  jumped  down,  looking  for  her  din- 
ner, so  all  took  lunch  and  then  went  to  the  lake  and 
Ronile  kept  Trixie  busy  by  throwing  a  piece  of  wood  into 
the  water.  The  dog  ran  after  it  and  brought  it  on  shore, 
then  buried  it,  becoming  so  tired  that  at  two  in  the  after- 
noon she  was  ready  for  her  rest  by  the  window  and  wanted 
to  doze  off,  but  Ronile  made  a  sound  like  a  cat,  remarking 
afterwards  that  she  could  not  do  it  again  if  she  tried, 
and  Trixie  looked  steadily  in  the  direction  the  sound  came 
from.  Ronile  was  quick  in  getting  the  expression  of  the 
eyes  and  face.  By  four  o'clock  a  life-like  picture  of 
Trixie  was  almost  finished  on  the  canvas.  It  was  indeed 
a  surprise  to  Prank  when  at  his  birthday  dinner  the  pic- 
ture stood  ready. 

"Keep  it  up,"  he  said  after  kissing  his  little  partner, 
as  he  called  her;  "you  will  make  good  in  this  world." 

"Why,  uncle!  They  offered  me  a  position  at  Abbott's 
and  mother  will  not  let  me  go." 

"I  don't  blame  her,"  said  Frank.  "You  have  talent, 
but  you  need  technic,  and  a  few  years  of  schooling  won't 
hurt  your  art." 

"So  you  think  I  should  send  her  to  art  school?"  in- 
quired her  mother. 

"By  all  means,  don't  let  her  bury  her  talent;  send 
her  to  a  good  school." 

"Los  Angeles  is  the  place,"  said  one  of  the  guests 
at  the  dinner  table.  "There  is  one  right  at  Westlake 
Park.  Why,  it  inspires  one  to  see  the  building  alone. 
Some  general  donated  his  mansion  for  art." 

"I  should  love  to  attend  art  school,"  said  Ronile  to 
her  mother,  when  they  were  alone. 

"First,  dear,  I  will  see  that  I  get  orders  from  the 
large  stores,  for  we  must  find  a  way  to  earn  money,  es- 
pecially if  you  want  to  study  art.  All  those  schools 
charge  a  tuition  fee." 


310  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Now,  Ronile,"  said  Frank,  as  he  handed  her  a  large 
box  of  candy  to  nibble  at  on  the  train,  "you  must  try 
hard  to  become  an  artist,  for  the  next  trip  we  make  will 
be  to — to — burr — to  California,  and  we  will  be  tired 
and  dusty  and  need  a  good  rest,  so  be  sure  you  have  a 
home  big  enough  to  keep  us  with  you." 

"I  am  going  to  try  hard,  dear  uncle,  and  make  you 
as  happy  as  you  have  made  us." 

"Well,  if  you  only  keep  your  happy  smile,  old  pal, 
it  will  be  enough,"  said  Frank.  "Good-by,  good  luck, 
God  bless  you. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XLVI 
POP  LESSEE'S  MYSTEBIOUS  PHONE  CALLS 

They  took  no  stop-over  at  Los  Angeles.  Mrs.  Delien 
felt  that  it  was  nearing  Christmas-time  and  flowers  must 
be  turned  out  fast,  the  larger  order  for  Chicago  as  well 
as  the  new  orders  for  San  Francisco.  It  gave  them  cour- 
age to  work.  The  Waters  were  at  the  station  and  insisted 
on  a  visit. 

"Try  it,  and  if  you  don't  like  it  you  can  look  for 
something  better,"  said  Mrs.  Waters. 

This  time  they  lived  in  the  Richmond  District  near 
Golden  Gate  Park.  Every  evening  at  sundown  they 
would  walk  to  the  park  and  watch  the  sunset  over  the 
Golden  Gate,  and  play  ball,  then  come  back  with  glowing 
cheeks — it  was  such  fun,  and  so  wonderful  to  Ronile. 
No  one  knew  of  their  arrival  except  the  Waters.  In  the 
midst  of  their  flower-making,  Ronile  looked  for  the  ad- 
dress of  the  Lesser  family. 

"They  have  moved,"  she  said  as  she  noted  the  address 
and  telephone  number. 

"You  may  call  them  this  evening,"  said  her  mother. 

An  afternoon  never  crept  more  slowly  for  Ronile  than 
this  one,  but  five-thirty  came  at  last  and  the  work  was 
laid  aside.  She  called  the  number  given  in  the  telephone 
directory  for  Lessers,  and  said,  "Hello,  is  this  Mr. 
Lesser  ? ' ' 

"Junior,"  came  the  answer. 

"Alfred?" 

"Yes,  who  is  this?" 

Mrs.  Delien  took  the  receiver  from  Ronile  and  said, 
"Now,  I  caught  you  trying  to  steal  my  girl,  you  good- 
for-nothing." 

"Who  wants  your  girl?"  came  the  answer. 

"You  are  trying  to  steal  her." 

"Aw,  go  on,  nix,  you're  off,"  and  bang  went  the 
receiver. 

Ronile  doubled  up  with  laughter.  "Oh,  mother," 
she  said,  "we  will  do  that  every  day." 


312  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

The  next  day  Molly  Lesser  answered.  "It's  that 
woman  again,  papa,"  they  heard  her  say. 

Next  came  Papa  Lesser.    "Hello,"  he  said. 

"Oh,  you  dear,"  came  the  voice  through  the  phone. 

"Say,  woman,  I  thought  you  said  this  here  was  a 
she-devil,  why  she  calls  me  dear." 

Then  Molly  said,  "It  can't  be  the  same  one." 

"Hello,  who  are  you?"  came  pop's  gruff  voice  again. 

"Yes,"  came  a  sweet  answer.  "Why,  sweetheart, 
don't  you  know  me?" 

"What  the  Heck,  woman;  has  Alfred  got  a  love 
affair?"  they  heard  him  say  to  Molly,  then  through  the 
phone,  "Say,  kid,  I  am  the  old  man,  my  boy  ain't  home 
yet,"  and  bang  went  the  receiver. 

The  third  evening  Frances  was  there  and  her  husband 
answered  their  call. 

"I'll  bet  that's  the  mysterious  girl  again,"  said  Pop. 

"Hello,  is  that  you, 'Alfred?" 

"No,  this  is  his  brother-in-law,"  came  the  answer, 
then  a  hurried  voice  of  "Oh,  daddy,  take  the  baby.  I 
want  to  talk  to  that  hussy;  she  won't  flirt  with  my 
hubby." 

"Hello,  Frances  dear,  how  is  the  baby?" 

"Say,  papa,  she  knows  me,  and  asks  for  the  baby." 
Next  came  the  healthy  cry  of  the  Lesser  offspring. 

"That's  a  boy,  all  right,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  hardly 
able  to  keep  from  laughing  outright. 

"Will  you  please  tell  me  who  you  are?"  came  the 
question. 

"Oh,  darling  Frances,  someone  who  loves  every  hair 
in  your  head." 

"Well,"  came  the  snippy  answer,  "if  I  had  you  here 
I  'd  pull  every  hair  out  of  your  head, ' '  bang — silence  once 
more. 

"Mother,"  cried  Ronile,  "I  have  not  seen  you  so 
happy  in  a  long  time,  not  since  we  lived  at  Lessers. " 

"Oh,  darling,  it  is  the  same  vibration  of  that  whole- 
some Lesser  family,  and  to  think  that  Frances  has  a  baby  I 
God  bless  it  and  all  of  them." 

"Shall  we  ever  get  this  order  out,  mother?  I  am 
dying  to  see  them." 


POP  LESSEE'S  MYSTERIOUS  PHONE  CALLS  313 

"So  am  I,  but  duty  comes  first,  and  we  are  so  happy 
in  our  anticipation  of  seeing  them  soon." 

The  fourth  evening  Alfred  answered  the  call  on  the 
phone.  Ronile  asked  him  how  he  was. 

"Oh,  fine,  how  are  you?"  came  the  answer. 

"Just  dandy." 

"Is  this  Dorothy?"  he  asked. 

"Yes." 

"Say,  Dot,  you  talk  different." 

"Do  I?  Say,  Alfred,  will  you  come  and  see  me  at  a 
friend 's  house  this  evening  ? ' ' 

"Maybe,"  he  said. 

"Oh,  do  come,  Alfred,  I  would  love  to  see  you." 

"All  right,"  said  Alfred. 

Then  another  voice  spoke  up,  "Say,  kid,  this  is  the 
old  man;  I  want  to  know  what  my  son  is  up  to,  so  I 
butted  in." 

"Well,  Mr.  Lesser,  if  you  want  to  come  out,  too,  we 
will  be  so  glad  to  see  you." 

"So  will  I,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  butting  in. 

' '  Say,  Molly,  that  sounded  like  the  woman,  those  twe 
belong  together,"  they  heard  him  say. 

' '  What 's  your  address  ? ' '  asked  Alfred.  "  I  '11  be  out 
sure.  Pop,  put  it  down." 

"Do  you  mind  my  coming?"  pop  asked  over  the 
phone. 

"No,  no,  you  can  come,  too,"  then,  "There's  a  hole 
in  the  bottom  of  the  sea,"  she  sang,  and  Pop  Lesser  said, 
"There  is  something  familiar  in  that  tone  of  voice;  she 
knows  my  favorite  song  and  all  the  family,  ding  it !  I  'm 
not  nosey  but  I  want  to  find  out  and  will  go  with  you, 
Al." 

"Well,  I  won't  let  you  go  out  there  alone  at  night. 
There  are  only  a  few  buildings  around,  and  for  all  you 
know  you  might  be  held  up." 

"Well,  now,"  said  her  spouse,  with  pride,  a  happy 
presentiment  in  his  big  heart,  ' '  if  you  don 't  want  to  lose 
me,  old  woman,  you'd  better  come  along." 

"That's  just  what  I  am  going  to  do.  It  may  be  a 
trick  of  some  girl  of  Al 's,  but  her  mother  would  not  keep 
it  up  for  four  days. ' '  A  heavy  fog  was  creeping  in  from 


314  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

the  ocean.  "My,  this  gives  me  the  creeps;  that  fog-horn 
tooting  all  the  time.  Give  me  the  old  part  of  the  town 
near  the  mission.  It  suits  me,"  said  Molly  as  they  were 
nearing  the  given  address.  It  was  a  new  two-story  build- 
ing, three  large  French  windows  showed  elegant  dra- 
peries. 

"Gee,"  said  Alfred,  "she  must  be  rich;  look  at  that 
lamp,  ma." 

' '  That  surely  cost  fifty  dollars, ' '  agreed  Molly.  They 
timidly  rang  the  bell. 

"Is  Dorothy  here?"  asked  Alfred,  his  hat  in  his 
hand. 

"Yes,"  came  a  familiar  voice,  "come  right  upstairs." 
Mrs.  Delien  turned  on  the  victrola.  It  was  a  chime  piece 
which  played,  "There's  a  Land  That  is  Fairer  than  Day," 
and  sang  the  words  of  Molly's  favorite  song. 

"Say,  woman,"  they  heard  the  boss  say,  "this  smells 
good." 

"Like  a  church,"  said  Molly. 

"It's  incense,"  explained  Alfred. 

They  walked  in,  the  French  door  opened  mechanical- 
ly, and  as  soon  as  they  entered  Ronile  and  her  mother 
grabbed  them  and  hugged  them  till  they  were  almost 
breathless  from  the  shock. 

"What,  the  dingbusted,  it's  Ronile  and  her  ma!  By 
Jove!  Such  a  surprise!  Say!  "  he  said,  looking  at  Ronile, 
"I  just  came  to  beat  the  daylights  out  of  the  girl  who 
was  flirting  with  my  boy,  not  even  myself  did  she  spare, 
a  poor  old  man  with  hair  almost  white.  I  will  have  to 
call  up  Frances  and  tell  her  who  it  is.  She  wanted  to 
pull  your  hair  out. ' ' 

"No,"  said  Molly,  "we  are  going  to  spring  the  sur- 
prise on  them  as  they  did  on  us.  Can  you  come  to  dinner 
tomorrow  evening?"  asked  Mrs.  Lesser. 

"I  think  we  can  manage  it,"  said  Mrs.  Delien. 

After  the  Lessers  had  gone,  Ronile  said,  "Mother 
dear,  there  is  one  wonderful  point  about  the  Lessers,  they 
never  ask  about  our  troubles  or  yesterday;  you  always 
laugh  and  forget  when  you  are  around  them. ' ' 

"It  is  true,  dear,"  replied  her  mother.  "They  live 
in  the  present  and  don't  ponder  what  was  or  might  be. 


POP  LESSEE'S  MYSTERIOUS  PHONE  CALLS  315 

Today  is  for  them.  They  have  the  fortunate  faculty  of 
making  the  best  of  today.  God  bless  and  keep  them  so." 

The  same  pranks  were  played  on  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Handel.  Annabelle  was  betrothed.  A  dough-boy  was 
her  choice. 

"Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Handel,  "why  did  you  not  take 
your  old  room  and  come  to  us?  We  would  have  given 
you  the  same  rate  as  years  ago. ' ' 

"Our  visit  to  San  Francisco  is  only  temporary,"  said 
Mrs.  Delien,  "the  friends  we  are  staying  with  are  going 
to  make  an  auto  trip  to  Los  Angeles  and  beg  us  to  accom- 
pany them." 

"What  a  pity,"  said  Daddy  Handel,  "we  thought 
sure  you  would  belong  to  us  again." 

"Perhaps  later  on,  my  good  friends,"  said  the 
Woman,  with  a  happy  gleam  in  her  eyes.  "It  is  God's 
will  that  we  should  go,  as  Ronile  wants  to  attend  an  art 
school  and  I  will  have  a  new  field  for  flowers. ' ' 

"You  are  right,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Handel,  "and  to 
think  you  can  travel  through  wonderful  California  in 
an  automobile,  out  in  the  good  fresh  air  all  the  time." 

"When  I  have  made  lots  of  money,"  said  Ronile,  "I 
will  buy  a  car  and  come  up  and  get  you." 

"When  will  that  be?" 

"Oh,  in  a  year  perhaps." 

"Hold  your  thumb  on  that,  Ronile,"  said  Daddy 
Handel.  "I  don't  doubt  for  a  minute  that  you  will ;  your 
face  alone  is  worth  a  fortune,  seems  to  me,  so  long  as  you 
hold  that  baby  smile. ' ' 

"You  said  it,  dada  dear,"  chimed  in  his  wife,  "she 
grew  tall  and  big,  but  it's  the  same  sweet  Ronile  smile, 
with  the  same  wistful,  fearless  eyes.  Come  here,  darling, 
and  kiss  your  Mama  Handel  again. ' ' 

After  they  had  gone  Ronile  said,  "If  I  did  not  want 
to  go  to  that  art  school,  I  would  like  to  stay,  but  it  may 
not  be  long  and  we  will  see  their  sweet,  dear  faces  again." 

The  holidays  were  over  and  our  party  was  ready  to 
journey  south. 

"Have  a  good  time,"  said  Pop  Lesser,  when  he  came 
to  clasp  the  dear  little  hands,  that  could  twist  the  ribbons 
and  make  flowers  as  good  as  Nature,  in  his  big  warm 


316  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

hands,  as  if  to  shield  them  forever.  Holding  on  to  Mrs. 
Delien's  hands  he  said,  "Look  at  this,  Molly;  why  this 
woman  has  regular  lumps  on  her  wrists. ' ' 

"I  knew  it!"  said  Molly,  "it's  from  twisting  the 
leaves  and  stems  of  those  ribbon  flowers,  the  poor  thing," 
she  kept  on.  ' '  I  am  glad  you  are  going  to  ride  this  way,  it 
will  at  least  rest  your  hands  and  nerves. ' ' 

"Oh,  my  Daddy  Lesser,"  said  Ronile,  as  she  threw 
her  arms  around  his  neck, ' '  I  don 't  like  to  leave  you  now. 
I  love  you  more  than  ever. ' '  He  blew  his  nose,  the  tears 
were  coming  fast  and  he  had  to  check  them. 

"I  hope  you  don't  get  too  much  rain  on  the  way," 
he  said  as  he  shook  hands  with  Mr.  Waters,  "but  as  long 
as  you  have  these  two  beams  along,  all  the  rain  in  the 
world  cannot  harm  you. ' ' 

Molly  Lesser  was  crying,  "Just  when  we  thought 
we  had  them  close,  they  slip  through  our  loving  arms 
again." 

"Such  is  the  way  of  the  world,"  said  the  Woman, 
and  the  car  sped  on,  whizzing  five  leaves  from  God's 
tree  of  mankind  to  another  destination. 


CHAPTER  XLVII 

ONWABD   TO  A  NEW  DESTINATION 

Although  the  rainy  season  had  set  in,  the  sun  shone 
all  the  way  until  they  reached  San  Juan  Babtisto,  where 
they  stopped  overnight,  and  they  hardly  had  the  car  under 
cover  when  the  rain  poured  for  an  hour,  and  then  it 
cleared,  giving  them  a  most  glorious  view  of  the  setting 
sun.  They  walked  through  the  old  mission  and  the 
Woman  sat  alone  outside  in  silent  meditation. 

1 '  Oh,  what  a  heavenly  rest ! ' '  she  thought,  and  prayed, 
"Oh,  good,  gracious  Father  who  led  us  so  carefully  to 
this  place  of  quietude  and  rest."  A  picture  arose  before 
her,  showing  a  book  with  innumerable  unwritten  pages, 
and  a  pen  was  pressed  into  her  hand  to  write.  ' '  Oh,  some 
day  I  may,  my  Lord,  Thy  will  be  done." 

Next  morning  they  paid  another  visit  to  the  mission, 
then  proceeded  on  their  journey — such  wonderful  sights! 
The  rain  clouds  hung  over  the  mountains  but  the  roads 
were  dry  and  cheerful.  As  they  passed  through  Paso 
Robles  (Ronile  called  it  "Pass  the  Bubbles")  they  found 
the  streets  in  that  pretty  city  were  not  macadamized,  and 
Mrs.  Waters  said  it  would  not  be  any  fun  driving  if  all 
the  roads  were  like  those. 

The  second  evening  they  stopped  at  San  Luis  Obispo ; 
it  rained  and  after  they  arrived  they  praised  God  for  the 
wonderful  trip.  There  were  thousands  of  blue  jays  and 
meadow-larks  as  they  passed  along  the  mountains;  the 
balmy  air  was  soothing  to  the  nerves  of  all  and  forgotten 
was  the  yesterday  and  tomorrow  was  not  thought  of. 
They  passed  through  as  though  on  wings ;  a  mild  bed  of 
existence  with  sweet  mountain  air. 

"We  will  take  our  time,"  said  Mr.  Waters,  "and 
stop  over  at  Ventura." 

"I  don't  care  if  we  go  on  forever  like  this,"  said 
Ronile,  contentedly. 

"Nor  do  I,"  chimed  in  the  rest  in  one  breath. 


318  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"Ventura,  you  beautiful  spot,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  as 
they  stopped  at  one  of  the  oldest  hotels,  with  its  high 
ceilings  and  frescoed  walls,  and  Spanish  balconies. 
They  all  said  they  loved  the  dear  old  place. 

The  next  morning  they  went  to  the  mission  to  thank 
the  Lord  for  His  blessings,  then  proceeded  on  their  jour- 
ney. First  came  mountains  and  wonderful  fields  of  peas. 
Soon  they  came  to  the  orange  groves,  and  the  road  was 
turning  into  an  avenue  of  palms.  Mountains  on  both 
sides  and  orange  groves  in  the  middle. 

"Dear  Lord,  how  wealthy  art  Thou  in  Thy  posses- 
sions." 

' '  This  is  the  last  mountain, ' '  said  Mr.  Waters.  ' '  Here 
is  Laurel  Canyon  and  we  will  soon  be  in  Hollywood." 

"Happy  and  light  the  hearts  of  those  who  in  each 
other's  faith  repose,"  sang  Ronile,  from  "The  Bohemian 
Girl,"  as  they  stopped  in  front  of  the  Hollywood  Hotel. 
There  were  no  rooms  to  be  had,  this  being  the  busy  sea- 
son. 

"Well,  I  have  the  address  of  some  lovely  people  that 
we  met  on  the  train;  they  might  know  of  a  place,"  said 
the  Woman. 

' '  Why,  that  is  only  a  few  blocks  from  here  I ' '  said 
Mr.  Waters,  so  off  they  went  and  found  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Roy  and  their  three  sons  in  a  beautiful  bungalow  at  the 
address  given.  Seeing  the  car,  Mrs.  Roy  ran  out  and 
greeted  her  train  friend  affectionately. 

' '  Where  are  you  stopping  ? ' '  she  asked. 

' '  God 's  Hotel,  called  the  Universe, ' '  said  Mrs.  Delien, 
laughingly. 

"You  will  never  find  accommodations  at  the  hotels, 
my  dear,  you  had  better  stay  with  us.  We  own  our  home 
and  feel  secure,"  she  said.  "My,  won't  the  boys  be  sur- 
prised to  see  Ronile!  They  have  not  stopped  talking 
about  her  to  this  day." 

"I  shall  be  so  glad  to  see  them,"  said  Ronile  later, 
after  they  had  taken  a  refreshing  bath  and  dressed  for 
dinner. 

Benny  was  the  youngest  and  came  home  first.  ' '  Who 
is  upstairs,  mother?"  he  asked  as  he  heard  unusual  foot- 
steps. 


ONWARD  TO  A  NEW  DESTINATION        319 

"It  will  be  a  lovely  surprise  and  you'd  better  get 
your  lessons  while  the  surprise  takes  a  rest."  * 

Harry  was  the  second  son,  he  was  attending  a  football 
game.  ' '  Don 't  go  in  the  east  room  upstairs,  Harry, ' '  said 
his  father  as  he  saw  him  going  upstairs  to  dress  for  dinner. 

"Who  are  the  two  extra  covers  for,  mother?  Where 
is  the  company?"  kept  on  the  oldest  son,  Ray,  a  good- 
looking  soldier  boy. 

"You  will  see  presently,"  she  said,  as  she  rang  the 
gong  for  dinner,  and  footsteps  were  heard  on  the  stairs, 
and  the  eyes  of  the  three  boys  varying  in  size  were  riveted 
on  the  staircase. 

"Oh,  it's  Ronile,  my  train  friend! "  said  Harry,  and 
ran  to  greet  her. 

Benny  was  a  bashful  lad,  but  his  broad  smile  and 
constant  glance  at  Ronile  gave  proof  of  pleasure  at  seeing 
her. 

"Since  when  have  you  grown  a  mustache?"  Ronile 
asked  Ray,  quite  aware  of  the  change  in  his  appearance. 

"That's  old,"  said  Harry,  "I  have  a  name  for  each 
hair." 

' '  Stop  teasing,  Kid, ' '  said  his  big  brother. 

"Well,  they  came  out  so  slowly,  that  I  had  time  to 
christen  each  one,"  said  Harry. 

"There  is  a  lady  across  the  street  who  wants  to  rent 
her  little  house,"  said  Mrs.  Roy,  "and  we  will  go  over 
after  dinner.  I  think  it  will  just  suit  you,  Mrs.  Delien." 

"Why,  mother,  it  looks  like  a  doll  house,"  said 
Ronile. 

"What  rent  do  they  ask?"  inquired  Mrs.  Delien  be- 
fore becoming  interested  in  the  inviting  little  house. 

"One  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  month." 

Ronile  turned  to  her  mother  with  a  lost  expression, 
as  she  knew  it  was  beyond  their  reach. 

"  It  is  worth  it, ' '  said  Mrs.  Roy  afterwards,  not  know- 
ing that  they  were  depending  on  the  money  they  made 
by  twisting  flowers  out  of  ribbons,  and  that  paid  little 
in  spite  of  the  world's  highest  reward.  "I  thought  you 
were  immensely  wealthy,"  she  said  afterwards;  "you 
look  so  well  clothed  and  refined." 


320  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

"That  is  our  wealth,  dear  Mrs.  Roy,"  said  the 
Woman,  "but  finances  are  low  with  us  and  thirty  dollars 
a  month  is  all  I  can  spare  until  we  know  what  our  future 
prospects  will  be." 

"You  are  right  there,"  said  Mrs.  Roy.  "It  is  not 
wise  to  live  up  all  of  one's  income." 

The  birds  were  singing  in  happy  glee.  "See,  the 
One  who  created  those  takes  care  of  us, ' '  said  the  Woman. 
"If  we  worry,  we  will  hinder  His  coworkers  in  finding  the 
right  place."  That  night  they  looked  up  at  the  stars 
and  prayed  ardently.  ' '  Merciful  Master,  Jesus,  who  leads 
us  onward,  we  are  standing  in  faith  and  seek  Thy  road 
sign." 

"It  is  a  humble  abode  where  goldfish  are  playing 
in  the  sunshine, ' '  said  a  voice. 

"Oh,  my  Lord,  lead  me  on  to  the  station  to  serve," 
said  the  medium. 

' '  You  must  lay  under  cover  for  new  sprouts  to  thrive 
new  fruit  to  feed  the  multitude." 

"Shall  I  attend  art  school,  dear  Master?"  asked 
Ronile. 

"It  is  well  for  a  short  period  of  time.  Thou,  my 
child,  must  enter  a  field  of  wild  flowers  and  there  thou 
must  unfold  like  a  lily  with  the  petals  ever  white  in 
purity  and  goodness.  It  will  be  a  hard  soil  where  many 
worms  will  try  to  gnaw  away  thy  roots  of  purity,  but  the 
Lord  shall  be  thy  gardener.  Then  keep  thyself  in  His 
care  by  opening  thy  heart  to  better  things  and  give  man- 
kind the  universal  love  of  brotherhood  and  not  the  lower 
portion  to  feed  the  worms  who  seek  in  darkness  to  sap  the 
life  out  of  a  beautiful  plant  and  leave  it  to  die. ' ' 

"Give  me  Thy  Mother's  protection,  oh,  Lord,"  said 
Ronile,  in  emotional  consecration. 

"Thy  cloak,  my  child,  must  change  its  colors  daily, 
like  a  rainbow,  so  brilliant,  but  keep  the  moth  of  habit 
from  that  garment,  each  shade  means  an  example  for 
which  the  multitude  is  craving.  Thy  face  shall  find  ex- 
pression in  their  heart  to  lead  them  on  to  feel  the  spirit- 
power.  Thy  deeds  must  manage  with  the  sun's  rays  to 
give  entrance  to  those  in  darkness,  like  a  well-shaped 


crystal,  carefully  cut  with  the  tool  of  deprivation  on  the 
young  and  tender  body;  all  the  hard  blows  of  life  have 
not  caused  a  flaw  in  the  brilliancy  of  thy  existence.  Thine 
eyes  still  seek  the  Father  and  power  above — thy  smile 
encourages  the  heart-sick — hold  well  enshrined  those  fac- 
ulties so  generously  bestowed  upon  you." 

"Amen,"  said  Konile. 

"Thy  will  be  done,"  said  her  mother,  as  the  voice 
and  spirit  vanished. 

Ronile  went  to  school  and  was  overjoyed  with  the 
teachers  and  all.  The  mother  looked  daily  for  the  place 
so  lovingly  pointed  out  to  her.  One  day  they  passed  a 
place  and  found  a  goldfish  pond  with  pretty  arbors  and 
shrubs. 

"I  am  drawn  to  this  place,  will  you  stop  the  car  a 
minute?"  the  Woman  asked  of  her  friends. 

"Well,  we  may  have  a  vacancy  in  a  month  or  so,  the 
folks  here  have  bought  a  home,  but  don't  know  when 
they  can  move,"  said  the  landlord,  a  kind-looking  gentle- 
man with  a  sheriff's  badge  under  his  coat. 

"I  will  wait,"  said  the  Woman,  relieved  as  she  paid 
a  deposit  on  the  rooms.  Thus  they  came  into  the  home 
pointed  out  by  the  all-seeing  eye. 

The  Waters  gave  a  dinner  and  many  guests  from  the 
Moving  Picture  Colonies  were  present. 

' '  Oh, ' '  said  Karl  van  Eeel  after  meeting  Ronile,  ' '  she 
is  the  type  you  need,  Lloyd." 

"I  say  so,"  came  the  answer  from  the  manager  of 
a  new  company.  There  was  a  conference  a  few  minutes 
later  and  Ronile  was  stationed  at  a  point  in  the  game  of 
life.  One  week's  trial  and  a  good  salary  was  offered  her. 

"Oh,  mother,  I  am  so  glad,  I  can  work  all  during 
vacation, ' '  said  Ronile  as  the  directors  were  drinking  their 
after-dinner  coffee  in  the  arbor  near  the  goldfish  pond. 

"I  am  afraid  that  after  having  made  all  those  pic- 
tures, and  wasted  all  that  gasoline  on  my  car  to  have  you 
registered,  that  it  would  not  be  fair  for  you  to  go  to 
school  and  paint,  to  starve  later  on,"  said  Karl. 

' '  No,  not  if  I  can  help  it ;  my  mother  needs  my  help 
and  I  will  sign  the  contract  and  work,"  said  Ronile. 
"See,  my  darling  mother,"  she  said,  "you  would  have  to 


322  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

twist  leaves  for  three  months  to  earn  what  I  get  in  a 
week. ' ' 

"But,  sweetheart,  Sunday  we  will  go  to  church  and 
thank  God  among  the  masses.  I  hear  a  bell  every  Sunday 
morning,  so  we  will  go  there. ' ' 

It  was  a  smalf  white  church  on  Santa  Monica  Boule- 
vard. They  entered  and  found  mostly  old  and  feeble 
people.  The  pastor  delivered  a  wonderful  sermon,  each 
word  came  from  his  soul,  and  the  old  faces  nodded  in 
assent. 

"My  first  pay  will  be  divided,  and  we  will  give  the 
old  folks  a  party, ' '  said  Ronile.  It  was  the  chapel  of  the 
Old  People's  Home.  Thus  changed  the  colors  on  the 
cloak  of  the  rainbow  each  day  in  different  work  and 
scenes,  to  do  good  on  earth. 

Often  they  would  climb  Krotona  Hill  and  visit  a  re- 
tired woman  doctor,  a  sweet,  white-haired  lady  with  her 
daughter,  Lucile,  a  woman  of  the  finest  tact  and  intelli- 
gence. The  daughter  and  Ronile  were  painting  beautiful 
scenes  while  Mrs.  Delien  sat  on  the  porch  of  the  wonderful 
villa  on  the  hill  overlooking  Los  Angeles  and  Hollywood. 
In  the  distance  was  the  ocean — a  silvery  body  of  water 
reaching  out  to  meet  the  sky. 

"My  dear  doctor,"  said  Mrs.  Delien,  "you  are  my 
elixir  in  life,  such  peace  and  quietude  is  balm  to  the  soul." 

"Yes,  it  works  that  way  on  everyone  who  comes 
here,"  said  the  doctor,  "and  you,  my  dear,  look  so  much 
better.  Your  step  is  lighter  and  your  face  younger  than 
when  I  first  saw  you." 

"Yes,  I  have  thrown  off  the  harness  of  strife,  the 
weight  of  the  cross  bears  no  more  on  my  shoulders.  I 
am  happy  in  this  soil  and  am  anxious  to  thrive, ' '  said  the 
Woman. 

"How  are  you  getting  along  with  your  book?"  asked 
her  friend. 

"Oh,  dear,  I  have  forgotten  to  tell  you.  I  met  a 
young  lady  at  church  who  agreed  to  type  it  for  me.  She 
is  a  lovely  and  wholesome  girl. ' ' 

"God  surely  turns  everything  your  way,  my  dear," 
said  the  doctor.  "My  daughter  said  yesterday  that  the 


ONWARD  TO  A  NEW  DESTINATION        323 

play  you  wrote  for  Ronile  was  considered  a  tremendous 
success." 

' '  I  hope,  doctor,  that  you  will  reserve  me  that  corner 
lot,  for  I  want  to  have  a  shrine  room  like  yours  with  the 
star  of  the  east  in  the  stained  glass  window  and  most  of 
all  your  blessing,"  said  the  Woman,  as  they  walked  into 
the  shrine  room. 


THE  JEWELED  CEOSS 

As  they  entered  the  shrine  room,  the  doctor  handed 
the  Woman  a  gold  cross,  set  with  pearls  and  amethysts, 
saying,  "May  your  burdens  never  be  heavier  than  this, 
and  may  your  eyes  ever  shine  as  bright  as  the  jewels  set 
therein. ' ' 

"Mother,"  called  the  doctor's  daughter,  as  they  en- 
tered, "we  missed  our  tea  time.  Ronile  finished  her  pic- 
ture, 'Daghib,  the  Hindoo,'  for  your  shrine  room,  and 
look  at  his  eyes,  they  follow  you  all  over.  I  made  good 
progress  with  my  scene,  too.  There  was  great  help  in 
the  blessing  from  the  evening  breeze  and  northern  light. ' ' 

"The  breath  of  God,"  said  Ronile,  "and  just  think, 
mother,  a  wonderful  meaning." 

The  doctor  kissed  Ronile  on  the  forehead,  saying, 
"My  child,  keep  on  inhaling  the  breath  of  God  in  love 
and  devotion.  You  are  already  leading  them  up  to  higher 
aims  and  ambitions." 

A  noise  of  cars  puffing  up  the  hill  was  heard.  "I 
wonder  who  could  have  seen  us  coming  up  here,"  said 
Ronile.  Such  a  crowd  of  passengers  emerged  from  the 
cars,  carrying  baskets  filled  with  goodies. 

"Oh,  doctor,"  cried  Karl  van  Reel,  "forgive  us,  dear 
doctor,  if  we  are  intruding,  but  we  were  so  lonesome  for 
nourishment  of  the  soul  as  well  as  of  the  body,  that  we 
brought  the  food  for  the  body  and  you  will  have  to  give  us 
the  spiritual." 

"Since  when  did  you  become  so  anxious?"  asked 
Mrs.  Delien. 

"Well,"  chimed  in  Roger,  Karl's  youngest  brother, 
"since  you  and  Ronile  practice  these  things  here,  every- 
body is  taking  painting  lessons  and  joining  classes  in  con- 
centration. ' ' 

"Say,  ladies,"  said  Mr.  Hirschwald,  who  was  an 
artist  as  well  as  a  director,  "this  is  the  most  wonderful 
sphere  on  earth.  Ah,  such  a  blessing!  See  the  millions 
of  lights  blinking  above  and  below." 


THE  JEWELED  CROSS  325 

"And  we  stand  between  heaven  and  earth,  to  lead 
God's  breath  into  hungry  souls,"  said  Ronile. 

One  of  the  younger  chaps  took  Konile  's  hand,  leading 
it  to  his  lips.  ' '  Ah,  my  star, ' '  sighed  he,  ' '  I  am  the  most 
hungry  soul  in  the  world,  and  pine  for  a  look  of  affection 
from  your  adorable  eyes." 

"Don't  rob  the  cradle,"  said  Karl,  "and  get  the  fast 
climbing  star  vexed  with  your  love  sighs. ' ' 

"You  are  right,"  said  Mr.  Hirschwald,  "if  I  see  any 
man  trying  to  lead  this  young  lady  out  of  the  road  of 
success,  he  will  have  to  reserve  a  room  in  the  hospital 
for  an  indefinite  time." 

"Yes,  I  guess  we  all  love  Ronile,"  said  Roger,  "she 
is  like  a  crystal  shining  for  all,  and  you  want  to  come  in 
and  claim  what  all  the  world  needs. ' ' 

"Too  much  light  or  sudden  fame  has  caused  many 
to  sway  and  lose  their  balance;  don't  do  that,  Ronile," 
said  Mr.  Hirschwald,  "your  art  is  still  growing  and  at 
heart  you  are  a  mere  child ;  that  is  your  advantage,  hold 
on  to  it.  You  are  not  close  to  the  world's  bosom  yet; 
you  are  only  leaning  toward  it;  therefore,  don't  disap- 
point it.  Your  work  is  spiritual,  and  the  Church  in  gen- 
eral sanctions  your  spiritual  plays;  to  the  world  you 
seem  to  be  behind  a  consecrated  door,  in  a  tabernacle 
built  of  good  deeds." 

"Yes,"  said  the  impulsive  Karl  van  Reel,  "built  by 
her  good  mother;  now  she  will  reap  the  harvest  from 
years  of  toil." 

"You  can  order  the  architect,  Mrs.  Delien,"  said 
the  doctor,  "and  get  ready  to  be  my  good  neighbor. 
Then  I  will  be  happy  to  watch  the  sun  set  and  slumber 
eventually  toward  the  great  life  we  try  so  hard  to  explore 
with  human  eyes. ' ' 

A  group  of  artists  were  admiring  the  paintings,  orna- 
ments and  draperies.  "This  is  a  very  beautifully  ar- 
ranged place, ' '  they  all  agreed ;  ' '  exquisite  taste  prevails 
everywhere. ' ' 

"I  tell  you,"  said  Mr.  Hirschwald,  "if  women  work 
out  their  talents  they  can  exceed  us  men.  They  are  more 
intuitive,  but  they  must  work  single-handed  with  the 
female  mold  of  self-reliance.  If  the  male  joins,  the  other 


326  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD 

feels  the  feminine  weakness  and  lacks  ambition,  then  re- 
proaches love  for  interfering  in  art.  Mrs.  Delien  never 
would  have  worked  out  these  faculties  if  she  had  married 
again;  she  would  have  depended  too  much  on  the  assis- 
tance and  help  of  others,  and  left  off  for  lack  of  ambition. 
Need  and  poverty  drove  her  to  it." 

"And  faith  in  fate,"  said  the  Woman  of  the  story. 
"Faith  in  the  will  of  our  Father;  hope  in  the  welfare  of 
my  child  through  the  will  of  His  Son.  And  charity  to 
all,  good  or  bad,  in  loving  assistance  to  the  spirit  prevail- 
ing for  all,  to  find  their  heavenly  stake,  set  by  the  triune 
God  to  make  'The  Way  of  the  World'  a  brighter,  more 
just  and  more  wholesome  road  to  tread  onward  into 
everlasting  life." 

"Dominus  vobiscum.     Et  cum  spiritu  tuo." 


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